UAP Records: Trump Moves to Direct Agencies to Identify and Release Alien and UFO Files

Donald Trump said federal departments would start preparing to release US records on aliens and unexplained aerial sightings. The plan covered unidentified aerial phenomena, called UAPs, and UFO files. Trump linked the move to growing public interest and fresh debate. The debate followed recent comments by former President Barack Obama in a podcast episode.

On Thursday, Trump said agencies would be asked to disclose material on past sightings and reviews. Trump did not name specific departments for the releases. Trump also gave no deadline for publishing any records. The comments suggested defence and intelligence bodies could be involved, along with other agencies.

On Truth Social, Trump wrote: "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), and any and all other information connected to these highly complex, but extremely interesting and important, matters," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

The announcement followed Trump’s criticism of Obama’s public remarks on the same topic. Bloomberg reported Trump spoke to reporters aboard Air Force One on Thursday. Trump said, "He gave classified information; he's not supposed to be doing that," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. Trump also said Obama could be taken "out of trouble" if Trump declassified related records.

When asked if aliens exist, Trump replied: "Well, I don't know if they're real or not. I can tell you he gave classified information. He's [Obama] not supposed to be doing that. He made a big mistake, he took it out of classified information." Trump added, "I don't have an opinion on it. I never talk about it, a lot of people do, a lot of people believe it," and avoided a clear view.

The dispute followed a podcast released last week with host Brian Tyler Cohen. Obama said, "They're real, but I haven't seen them, and they're not being kept in... Area 51," referring to the Nevada Air Force site. Obama also said: "There's no underground facility. Unless there's this enormous conspiracy and they hid it from the president of the United States." Obama said no proof was shown during 2009-2017.

Key details from Thursday’s developments are set out below for readers tracking policy and disclosure steps.

Item	Detail
Subject	Government files on aliens, extraterrestrial life, UAPs, and UFOs
Trump action	Plan to direct departments to identify and release records
Timing shared	Announced on Thursday, with no fixed publication schedule
Obama reference	Podcast remarks with Brian Tyler Cohen released last week

The episode linked online speculation, classified information, and partisan rivalry. Trump’s order, once formalised, is expected to trigger internal reviews of older archives. Obama’s remarks kept attention on what presidents learn about unexplained aerial incidents. For now, Trump’s post left open which agencies will publish records and when.