Donald Trump made a shocking revelation at a recent speaking event, abruptly announcing that he has instructed Pete Hegseth to release government UFO files.
The president headlined a Turning Point USA event on Friday at a megachurch in Phoenix, Arizona, where he defended his record in office to a slew of young conservative voters.
The event is the latest stop in the TPUSA tour across America, where top conservatives are attempting to bolster support for their party among young voters.
During his remarks, Trump boasted about his Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, revealing that the Pentagon would soon release documents relating to UFOs and ‘unexplained aerial phenomena.’
‘I figured this was a good crowd because you people – you’re really into that. I don’t know. So I’m pleased to report today, I thought I’d save it for this crowd, because you’re a little bit out there, that this process is well underway,’ he joked.
‘We found many very interesting documents, I must say. And the first releases will begin very, very soon. So you can go out and see if that phenomena is correct. You’ll figure it out. Let me know.’
The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform’s Task Force sent a letter to Hegseth in March, requesting video files related to Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAPs) by April 14.
The letter followed hearings by the House task force in September, where whistleblowers testified that the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), a section of the Department of War, possessed video records of UAPs.
‘The lack of disclosure regarding the very real threat posed by UAPs in and around US restricted airspace is concerning,’ House representatives wrote.
‘The presence of UAPs in and around the sensitive airspaces of US military installations poses a threat to the security of the armed forces and their readiness.’
The letter requested over 45 video files dating back to 2019, including footage of ‘cigar-shaped’ and ‘spherical’ UAPs.
Some clips reportedly captured UAP formations near Iran and Syria, incidents near US bases and airports, and even a 2023 shootdown over Lake Huron.
A video file reportedly revealing UFOs in formation over the Persian Gulf was also requested.
Trump wrote on Truth Social in February that he would be directing Hegseth to begin identifying and releasing UFO-related files.
‘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,’ he said at the time.
Hegseth later told reporters that his department was ‘digging in’ to the files and would be in compliance with the president’s orders.
Former President Barack Obama also hinted at classified UFO information during a podcast interview at the time.
When asked if aliens were real, he responded: ‘They’re real, but I haven’t seen them, and they’re not being kept in … Area 51.
‘There’s no underground facility unless there’s this enormous conspiracy and they hid it from the president of the United States.’
Trump blasted Obama for the remarks, telling reporters that the former president ‘took it out of classified information,’ adding, ‘He’s not supposed to be doing that.’
The Pentagon has previously investigated UFO and UAP activity. In 2022, senior defense officials at the AARO announced that they had found no evidence that aliens had ever visited Earth.
The AARO released a report in 2024, concluding that most UFO sightings were misidentified as ordinary objects and there was no evidence of extraterrestrial technology since the end of World War II.
Despite earlier reports, it seems the federal government has continued to ramp up investigations, with the federal domain aliens.gov suddenly showing signs of activity.
The site has now returned as an SSL error, a technical signal that the address may be connected to a live server but is not yet fully configured for public access.
