President Donald Trump orders federal agencies to identify and release UFO and UAP files, reigniting transparency debates and political tensions with Barack Obama.
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| From Washington to Nevada’s Area 51, Trump’s call to release UFO and UAP records intensifies scrutiny of classified files, Barack Obama’s remarks, and Pentagon findings dismissing alien technology claims. Image: CH |
WASHINGTON, United States — February 20, 2026:
U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered federal agencies to begin “identifying and releasing” government files related to UFOs, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), and extraterrestrial life, a move that could reshape long-running debates over secrecy, science, and national security.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he would direct the secretary of war and other relevant departments to review materials connected to “alien and extraterrestrial life, UAP, and UFOs.” While he stopped short of explicitly promising declassification of sensitive documents, he indicated the review should include “any and all other information” tied to what he called “highly complex” and “extremely interesting and important” matters.
The directive immediately energized transparency advocates and UFO researchers who have argued for decades that the U.S. government holds more detailed information than it has publicly acknowledged. It also places pressure on defense and intelligence agencies to clarify how much data can be released without compromising national security.
The announcement came amid fresh political friction. Earlier the same day, Trump accused former President Barack Obama of disclosing classified information during a podcast interview with political commentator Brian Tyler Cohen.
During the discussion, Obama addressed conspiracy theories surrounding Area 51, the secretive military installation in Nevada long linked to UFO lore. “They’re real, but I haven’t seen them and they’re not being kept in Area 51,” Obama said, dismissing the idea of a hidden alien facility unless it were concealed even from the president.
Trump responded by telling reporters that Obama had “gave classified information” and “made a big mistake,” though he did not specify which portion of the remarks he believed to be sensitive. The exchange underscores how the UFO issue — once confined largely to the fringes of public discourse — has increasingly intersected with partisan politics.
Beyond political sparring, the broader policy backdrop is grounded in defense assessments. In March 2024, the Pentagon released a comprehensive report concluding it had found no evidence that UAP sightings were linked to extraterrestrial technology. Many reported incidents were attributed to weather balloons, surveillance aircraft, satellites, drones, or other conventional objects.
Still, interest in UAP has surged in recent years, driven in part by military pilot testimonies and concerns that foreign adversaries could be testing advanced aerospace systems capable of evading traditional detection methods. In that context, greater disclosure could serve dual purposes: reassuring the public while clarifying potential technological threats.
Scientific consensus remains unchanged. No verified evidence has confirmed intelligent life beyond Earth. Trump himself acknowledged uncertainty, stating, “I don’t know if they are real or not.”
Whether the president’s directive results in significant new revelations will depend on how agencies interpret its scope and navigate the tension between transparency and security. For now, the order signals that questions about UFOs and UAP — spanning Washington’s corridors of power to Nevada’s desert test sites — are no longer merely cultural curiosities, but subjects of formal governmental review.