Donald Trump teases new government UFO files coming very soon
President Donald Trump said the government will “very soon” begin releasing previously secret files related to UFOs and unexplained aerial phenomena.
The announcement at Turning Point USA‘s Action Conference comes amid renewed public and congressional interest in unexplained sightings and calls for greater transparency around what the government knows.
If released, the files could expand public access to long‑classified materials and shape how lawmakers, scientists and the public evaluate past UFO investigations.
Trump told the crowd in Phoenix, Arizona, “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.”
What’s Been Said About the Files’ Release?
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 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 deputy 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.
What Will the UFO Files Reveal?
Some scientists believe the most significant material tied to unidentified aerial phenomena has yet to be made public and could include high‑resolution satellite imagery or physical materials recovered from alleged crash sites. Harvard physicist Avi Loeb told Newsweek such evidence, if it exists, would be critical to national security because it could point to previously unknown technologies, whether foreign‑made or otherwise. He has argued that even if the data ultimately has a conventional explanation, analyzing it would help strengthen U.S. scientific and defensive capabilities.
Beyond imagery, researchers say any recovered materials would be especially consequential. Loeb has noted that even a small sample could be tested for isotopic signatures that reveal whether it originated outside the solar system, since all known solar‑system material shares a common chemical fingerprint. Scientists stress that rigorous analysis of raw data—not blurry or declassified images alone—would be necessary to determine velocities, accelerations or origins with confidence.
Other experts caution that expectations should be tempered. Astronomers say genuine scientific interest centers on signs of simple life, like microbes, rather than evidence of advanced alien technology. Historians and former defense officials also warn that many released documents are likely to be routine administrative records or sighting reports rather than dramatic revelations. Former Pentagon investigators have said past reviews found no evidence of extraterrestrial technology on Earth, suggesting the disclosures may answer some questions while fueling others.
Updates: 4/17/26, 7:44 p.m. ET: This article was updated with new information and the correct job description for Anna Kelly.
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