Trump says there is 'tremendous interest' in UFO activity and aliens following comments made on a podcast by former President Barack Obama

Updated February 19, 2026 8:53pm EST

President Donald Trump said he will direct the release of government files related to alien and extraterrestrial life and unidentified aerial phenomena, saying there is "tremendous interest" in the issue following remarks by former President Barack Obama.

Trump said he would instruct War Secretary Pete Hegseth and other relevant departments and agencies to begin identifying and declassifying records tied to unidentified aerial phenomena, UFOs and potential extraterrestrial life, framing the move as a response to heightened public curiosity.

"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. "GOD BLESS AMERICA!"

Trump said aboard Air Force One that Obama revealed classified information by suggesting aliens are real, calling the remarks a "big mistake" and accusing Obama of disclosing secrets about possible non-human visitors to Earth.

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Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy asked Trump about Obama’s claim during a gaggle aboard Air Force One, pressing the current sitting president on whether he has seen evidence of non-human visitors on Earth.

"He gave classified information. He’s not supposed to be doing that," Trump said. "I don’t know if they’re real or not. I can tell you, he gave classified information. He’s not supposed to be doing that – he made a big mistake. He took it out of classified information."

Former President Barack Obama appeared on Brian Tyler Cohen’s podcast Saturday, where he was asked point-blank whether aliens are real.

"They’re real, but I haven’t seen them," Obama said.

The 44th president also dismissed the idea that extraterrestrials are being held at Nevada’s Area 51, saying there is no secret underground facility "unless there’s this enormous conspiracy and they hid it from the president of the United States."

After his comments sparked buzz online, Obama sought to clarify his remarks on Instagram.

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"I was trying to stick with the spirit of the speed round, but since it’s gotten attention, let me clarify," he wrote. "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 are low, and I saw no evidence during my presidency that extraterrestrials have made contact with us. Really!"

Cohen also asked what Obama’s first question was after taking office, prompting another alien reference.

"Uh, where are the aliens?" Obama joked.

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A UFO is circled in red in a black and white surveillance image

Enigma has received more than 9,000 witness sightings of mysterious objects within 10 miles of United States’ shorelines since August 2025, according to the company’s website. (iStock)

Saturday’s appearance was not the first time Obama addressed the topic. During a 2021 interview on "The Late Late Show with James Corden," he said that after entering office, he looked into whether aliens were being studied in a secret lab and was told they were not.

Still, Obama noted that officials are investigating aircraft exhibiting unusual flight patterns.

"There is footage and records of objects in the skies that we don’t know exactly what they are," he said. "We can’t explain how they moved, their trajectory. They did not have an easily explainable pattern. I think people still take seriously trying to investigate and figure out what that is."

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Doocy later asked President Joe Biden about Obama’s remarks, referencing unidentified aerial phenomena, or UAPs.

"What do you think that it is?" Doocy asked.

"I would ask (Obama) again," Biden responded.

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Interest in UAPs has intensified in recent years, drawing attention from federal lawmakers and defense officials. Congress passed the Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Disclosure Act in 2023, and the Department of Defense established the All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office to further examine such incidents.

Fox News Digital’s Mike Sinkewicz contributed to this report.

Greg Wehner is a breaking news reporter for Fox News Digital.