Donald Trump Teases New Government UFO Files Coming ‘Very Soon'
President Donald Trump said Friday that the government will soon begin releasing files related to unidentified flying objects (UFOs) and unexplained aerial phenomena.
Speaking at Turning Point USA‘s Action Conference in Phoenix, Arizona, the president said the first disclosures would come "very, very soon," adding that people could decide for themselves whether the phenomenon is real.
Trump told the crowd, “We will begin releasing government files relating to UFOs and unexplained aerial. phenomena and you’re really into that. I don’t know if I am. I thought I’d save it for this crowd. because you’re a little bit out there. The first releases will begin very, very soon, so you can go out and see if that phenomenon is correct. You’ll figure it out. Let me know. Let me know.”
With the U.S. government poised to release a tranche of UFO‑related files, experts are weighing what the documents might reveal.
Interest in otherworldly phenomena skyrocketed earlier this year following remarks made by both President Donald Trump and former President Barack Obama.
Trump announced in February that he would be directing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other relevant departments and agencies to start identifying and releasing UFO-related government files. The announcement came after Obama told political commentator Brian Tyler Cohen, "they're real, but I haven’t seen them," when asked about the existence of alien life during a rapid-fire portion of an interview.
Obama soon after clarified his comments, however, writing on social media: "Statistically, the universe is so vast that the odds are good there's life out there. But the distances between solar systems are so great that the chances we've been visited by aliens is low, and I saw no evidence during my presidency that extraterrestrials have made contact with us."
“President Trump directed the Department of War to begin the process of identifying and releasing government files related to alien and extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena, and unidentified flying objects because he is the most transparent President in history. Stay tuned,” White House press secretary Anna Kelly told Newsweek.
Hegseth told reporters in February he did not have a timeline for the file release requested by Trump.
"I don’t want to oversell how much time it will take, right? We’re digging in. We’re going to be in full compliance with that executive order, eager to provide that for the president. So, there’ll be more coming on that as far as the process of what we’ll do," he said.
This is a breaking news article. Updates to follow.
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This story was originally published April 17, 2026 at 6:52 PM.