WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has said he is ordering federal agencies to begin “identifying and releasing” government files related to UFOs and aliens, a move sought for decades by some Americans.

“Based on the tremendous interest shown, I will be directing the Secretary of War, and other relevant Departments and Agencies, to begin the process of identifying and releasing government files related to alien and extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), and unidentified flying objects (UFOs),” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.

Trump said the files should include “any and all other information connected to these highly complex, but extremely interesting and important, matters.” Earlier, the Republican president claimed that one of his Democratic predecessors, Barack Obama, had revealed “classified” information in his recent viral podcast remarks about the existence of extraterrestrial life.

“They’re real, but I haven’t seen them and they’re not being kept in...Area 51,” Obama told host Brian Tyler Cohen, referring to the top-secret US military facility in Nevada at the heart of many UFO conspiracy theories. CIA archives released in 2013 said it was a test site for top-secret spy planes.

There was no indication in Obama’s remarks that he released classified information. Obama’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

Published in Dawn, February 21st, 2026