Donald Trump has instructed Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to disclose government documents concerning aliens, extraterrestrial existence, and UFOs.

This announcement came shortly after Trump criticized Barack Obama for allegedly divulging classified details regarding alien life during a podcast conversation.

“Given the immense public interest, I will instruct the Secretary of War to initiate the process of identifying and making public government files about alien and extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), and unidentified flying objects (UFOs),” Trump posted on Truth Social on Thursday night.

He further stated that efforts would be made to release “any and all additional information related to these highly intricate yet fascinating and significant issues.”

While traveling to Georgia on Thursday, Trump remarked that Obama should not have disclosed such “classified information” when speaking to podcast host Brian Tyler Cohen earlier in the week.

When questioned by Fox News reporter Peter Doocy aboard Air Force One, Trump commented, “I don’t know if they’re real or not.”

‘I can tell you he gave classified information. He made a big mistake,’ he added.

Donald Trump said that he’s directed Pete Hegseth to release government files related to aliens, extraterrestrial life and UFOs

Hours after saying that Barack Obama acted improperly by allegedly sharing classified information with Americans when he said that aliens exist, Trump appears set to declassify it

Cohen asked the former president if extraterrestrials were real in an episode that aired January 14.

‘They’re real, but I haven’t seen them,’ Obama replied. He joked that they are not being kept at Area 51, as far as he knows.

His comments — delivered with a mix of humor and authority — amounted to a clear rejection of claims that the U.S. government is secretly housing alien life forms at the classified base.

Area 51 has fueled decades of speculation, particularly since the Cold War, when its remote desert location and classified operations made it a natural target for rumors about UFOs and extraterrestrial cover-ups. 

The US government has acknowledged the facility’s existence but has consistently said it is used for testing advanced military aircraft.

The clip went so viral and sparked so much speculation that the former president had to post a clarification the following day, where he explicitly stated: ‘I saw no evidence during my presidency that extraterrestrials have made contact with us. Really!’

Rather, he was sharing his personal belief that ‘the universe is so vast that the odds are good there’s life out there.’

Cohen then asked what question he most wanted answered upon entering the White House.

Barack Obama said on a podcast that aired February 14 that extraterrestrials exist

‘Where are the aliens?’ Obama replied with a laugh. 

The exchange came as part of a wide-ranging interview in which Obama reflected on his presidency and post-White House life. 

Trump’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, told New York Post podcast host Miranda Devine in an episode that aired this week that the President was preparing a speech on extraterrestrials. 

This was brand new information for his press secretary.

At Wednesday’s press briefing, Karoline Leavitt was asked about Obama’s recent comments and the prospects of a presidential speech on life beyond Earth.

‘A speech on aliens would be news to me,’ Leavitt replied. ‘That sounds very exciting, though. I’ll have to check in with our speech-writing team.’

‘That would be of great interest to me personally, I’m sure all of you in this room – and apparently former President Obama, too. So, we’ll keep you posted on that.’

Scientists generally believe that the best candidates for alien life are ‘Earth–like’ worlds orbiting distant stars in other parts of the galaxy.

Scientists generally believe that the best candidates for alien life are ‘Earth–like’ worlds orbiting distant stars in other parts of the galaxy. TRAPPIST–1e (artist’s impression) is a planet located just 40 light–years from Earth that likely has liquid water and an atmosphere similar to that of Earth 

K2–18b (artist’s impression) is a massive water world covered in oceans that orbits a red dwarf star 124 light–years from Earth. Scientists have found chemicals in its atmosphere that could be a sign of life 

One such contender is the Earth–sized planet TRAPPIST–1e, located just 40 light–years from Earth, which is located safely within its star’s habitable ‘Goldilocks zone’.

But astronomers also believe we don’t need to look so far from home to hunt for alien life.

Even in our own solar system, Saturn’s moons Enceladus and Titan could have the right conditions for life to emerge and thrive.

Obama’s argument is a variation of a principle which actually plays a key role in the search for alien life.

Professor Mark Burchell, of the University of Kent, told the Daily Mail: ‘The idea is there are so many stars, so many have planets, so many planets are in the habitable zone where the solar heating is enough to permit liquid water on the surface, that something magic happens in a certain per cent of the time and life emerges.’

This is why astronomers focus on looking for solar systems that have worlds with water, since there is a small chance of life emerging on any world where it is present.