On February 20, 2026, President Trump directed the Pentagon and federal intelligence agencies to begin identifying and releasing government files related to UFOs, UAPs, and extraterrestrial life. The announcement followed a viral podcast moment in which Barack Obama stated “they’re real” when asked about aliens, comments he later walked back, but not before sparking a wave of public pressure that reached the Oval Office.
What most coverage missed: the declassification process is not a switch. It requires trained security officers to review materials line by line, agency by agency. Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Christopher Mellon confirmed that interagency meetings have already begun, but the timeline remains entirely at the government’s discretion.
Trump has broad authority to declassify. What he does not have is the ability to force agencies to surface materials they have never officially acknowledged exist.
If the files that matter most are the ones no one has admitted to holding, will a declassification order ever reach them?
Source: CNN — https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/07/us/aliens-ufos-files-release-trump