A statement by former US President Barack Obama during a podcast, where he answered “yes” to the question of whether extraterrestrials or aliens are real, has caused numerous reactions online.
During the interview with political commentator Brian Tyler Cohen, Obama was asked directly: “Are aliens real?” “They are real, but I haven’t seen them,” he replied, smiling.
Even, as if to add more mystery, the former president added: “We don’t hide them in Area 51. There is no underground base, unless there is some giant conspiracy and they are hiding it even from the president of the United States himself.”
Asked what the first question he asked upon taking office in the White House was, Obama humorously replied: “Where are the aliens?”
His statement was followed by a wave of articles with sensational headlines such as: “Former US President Says Extraterrestrials Are Real” or “‘They’re Real’: Obama’s Shocking Statements.”
The prestigious Time magazine wrote: “Obama says aliens are real, but they’re not at Area 51.”
Following the uproar, Barack Obama reacted with a clarifying statement on Instagram on Sunday evening.
“I was trying to keep the spirit of a ‘quick round’ of questions and answers, but since this issue has received attention, let’s clarify. Statistically, the universe is so large that the chances of life elsewhere are considerable.”
But the distances between solar systems are so great that the chances of extraterrestrials visiting us are slim. During my presidency I have seen no evidence that they have made contact with us. Truly!” he wrote.
Conspiracy theories have for years claimed that the US government is hiding evidence of extraterrestrials at Area 51, a top-secret Air Force base in Nevada.
However, documents released in 2013 showed that the area was used for secret testing of US government aerial programs, including U-2 and Oxcart surveillance planes.
According to the documents, the high-altitude flights of the U-2 aircraft led to a significant increase in reports of unidentified flying objects (UFOs), further fueling the mystery over the years.