On February 19, 2026, President Donald Trump directed the Pentagon and other federal agencies to begin identifying and releasing government files related to UFOs and "alien and extraterrestrial life," marking a potentially historic moment in the push for UAP disclosure.
The announcement came days after former President Barack Obama told a podcaster that he believes extraterrestrial life exists, citing the statistical vastness of the universe. Trump responded by telling reporters he isn't sure whether aliens exist but said Obama "made a big mistake" and "gave classified information."
Pentagon Response
Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell confirmed that the "department looks forward to working with the interagency to fulfill the president's directive." Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted a screenshot of Trump's statement on social media with an alien emoji.
However, no specific timeline has been set, and officials stress that national security redactions will remain in place.
Reactions from Key Figures
Christopher Mellon, former deputy assistant secretary of defense for intelligence, noted: "This might be a consequential moment, but the impact will depend on the follow-through."
Luis Elizondo, the former Pentagon official who ran the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP), called the task a "tremendous undertaking" given the sheer volume of accumulated data.
Investigative journalist Ross Coulthart praised the intent but insisted Trump must issue a formal Executive Order mandating immediate declassification, warning that without it, bureaucratic inertia will keep the files locked away.
Congressional Support
Republican Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna, who chairs a congressional task force on unidentified aerial phenomena, wrote: "As the Chairwoman of the Task Force that investigates these subjects, we are incredibly grateful for you doing this."
Senator John Fetterman called it a potential bipartisan issue: "If he's going to release all of the X-Files, I think that could be a bipartisan thing."
What Has the Government Found So Far?
To date, no U.S. government report or investigation has produced evidence that extraterrestrials have visited Earth. The Pentagon had received a total of 1,652 reports of UAPs as of 2024. Some sightings remain unexplained, while others have been attributed to balloons, drones, birds, weather events, or airborne debris.
Polymarket bettors currently give only a 28-30% chance of new UFO files being declassified by March 31, 2026, reflecting cautious realism about the pace of government action.