• Trump orders release of UFO and alien files due to public interest.
• Accuses Obama of revealing classified information about extraterrestrials.
• Trump remains uncertain about the existence of aliens, while Obama clarifies his position.

US President Donald Trump announced on February 19 that he is directing federal agencies to identify and release files related to UFOs and extraterrestrial life, citing "tremendous interest" in the subject. In a post on Truth Social, Trump stated, "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)"... according to CBS News and India Times.

Just hours before this announcement, Trump publicly criticized former President Barack Obama for making statements suggesting that aliens are "real" during a podcast interview. Trump asserted that Obama had disclosed "classified information" and stated, "He made a big mistake." Despite questioning, Trump expressed uncertainty about his own beliefs regarding aliens, saying, "I don't know if they're real or not" ... according to BBC and Le Monde.

Obama had indicated in the podcast that while he believes there is a statistical likelihood of alien life, he saw no evidence of direct contact with extraterrestrial beings during his presidency. He added, "They're real, but I haven't seen them. There's no underground facility" ... according to Channel News Asia and South China Morning Post.

This renewed focus on aliens and UFOs arrives amid a surge of public interest, spurred by past Pentagon investigations into unidentified phenomena. In 2023, the Pentagon claimed that the majority of reported UFO sightings were linked to ordinary objects, with no confirmed evidence of extraterrestrial encounters... according to India Times and Le Monde.