President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that his administration plans to soon release as many classified documents as possible regarding UFOs and unidentified aerial phenomena. The announcement was made during a meeting at the White House with astronauts from the Artemis II mission and captured international media attention.
A journalist brought up the topic during the official event, directly questioning Trump about the status of the files. Without hesitation, Trump replied, "I think we're going to release everything we can in the near future. People have been curious about this for a long time. They want to know about UFOs and everything related to that material, and we're going to make a lot of what we have available. I think some of it will be very interesting to the public."
Going a step further, Trump disclosed that during his first term, he personally interviewed military pilots regarding their sightings: "I interviewed pilots, very solid people, and they said they saw things you wouldn't believe. So you're going to read about it."
This announcement marks the clearest public statement so far about the impending disclosure, part of a process Trump initiated in February 2026. At that time, he ordered the Pentagon to declassify files on UFOs and extraterrestrial life, citing the "great interest" of the public.
This directive was partly driven by comments from former President Barack Obama on a podcast, where he hinted at the reality of alien life.
Background and Recent Developments
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed at the end of February that the Pentagon was actively working on this directive. On April 17, Trump noted that the review of materials had uncovered "interesting documents" and promised to release an initial batch through a centralized digital platform. Interest in UFOs has surged in recent months in the United States following Trump's directive.
The context of Wednesday's announcement was significant: Trump hosted the four astronauts of Artemis II in the Oval Office—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Jeremy Hansen—who earlier this month completed the first crewed mission around the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972.
The mission set a record for the farthest human distance from Earth, reaching 406,773 kilometers on April 6.
Trump had celebrated the splashdown of Artemis II on April 11 with a message on Truth Social: "I look forward to seeing you all very soon at the White House," and fulfilled that promise on Wednesday.
Shift in Trump's Stance on UFOs
Trump's shift in attitude toward UFOs is noteworthy. In 2019, when informed about naval pilots' reports, he told ABC News, "Do I believe it? Not particularly." Seven years later, his administration is driving what analysts call the largest executive disclosure effort in U.S. history on this topic.
The All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), established in 2022 to centralize the analysis of these phenomena, has gathered over 2,000 reports without finding any evidence of extraterrestrial technology.
A Gallup poll from November 2025 found that 41% of respondents believe in extraterrestrial life visiting Earth, the highest level since 1997, while 65% of Americans support the full declassification of UFO files.
Trump did not specify an exact date for the release of these files, but his words on Wednesday left little doubt about the direction: "You're going to read about it."
Understanding the Upcoming UFO Disclosure
What prompted Trump to consider releasing UFO files?
The decision was influenced by public interest and comments from former President Barack Obama suggesting the reality of alien life.
What is the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office?
The AARO was established in 2022 to centralize the analysis of unidentified aerial phenomena and has collected over 2,000 reports.
How has public interest in UFOs changed recently?
Public interest in UFOs has significantly increased, with a Gallup poll showing 41% believe in extraterrestrial visitation, and 65% support full declassification of related files.