Washington: President Donald Trump announced his directive for federal agencies to release documents concerning aliens and UFOs, emphasizing the overwhelming public interest in the matter. This decision follows his recent criticism of former President Barack Obama for his comments suggesting the existence of aliens.
According to Thai News Agency, President Trump used social media to communicate his intention to instruct Defense Secretary Peter Hexeth and other relevant agencies to initiate the process of identifying and releasing government documents related to extraterrestrial beings, unidentified flying objects (UFOs), unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs), and other related information. He noted the complexity and importance of this matter, although he personally had not seen any evidence of aliens and remained uncertain about their existence.
Earlier, Trump accused Obama of improperly disclosing classified information. This accusation was in response to Obama's remarks on a podcast aired on February 14th, where he expressed his belief in the existence of aliens, though he had never encountered them. Obama also dismissed rumors of aliens being kept at Area 51 or any secret underground locations, unless a large-scale conspiracy was concealing such information from the U.S. president.
Area 51, a highly secretive U.S. Air Force facility in Nevada, has long been rumored to be a storage site for alien remains and spacecraft that allegedly crashed on Earth. However, documents released by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in 2013 reveal that Area 51 served as a testing site for top-secret reconnaissance aircraft.
President Obama clarified that during his presidency from 2009 to 2017, he did not encounter any evidence of extraterrestrial life contacting humans. He explained that while the statistical likelihood of extraterrestrial life is high due to the universe's vastness, the chances of aliens visiting Earth are low because of the immense distances involved.
Over the years, the U.S. Department of Defense has investigated UFO reports, culminating in a 2024 report stating that the government had been examining this issue since the end of World War II without finding evidence of extraterrestrial technology. Most sightings of unidentified objects and phenomena are attributed to misunderstandings. Meanwhile, the U.S. National Archives and Records website indicates the existence of numerous records related to UFOs.