A fresh political clash has erupted in Washington after US President Donald Trump accused former President Barack Obama of improperly revealing classified information while speaking about the possibility of alien life.
Trump suggested that Obama’s remarks, if based on intelligence briefings received during his presidency, could amount to disclosing sensitive material. However, he did not reference any specific classified document or intelligence assessment.
Speaking to reporters, Trump said, “He took it out of classified information… He’s not supposed to be doing that… He made a big mistake.”
The accusation stems from a recent interview in which Obama was asked by podcast host Brian Tyler Cohen whether aliens are real. Obama replied, “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”.
Area 51, a classified Air Force facility in Nevada, has long fuelled conspiracy theories involving extraterrestrials. Declassified CIA documents in 2013, however, confirmed the site was used to test advanced reconnaissance aircraft.
Obama walks back speculation
As online debate intensified, Obama clarified that his remarks were made during the “spirit of the speed round” segment of the interview. While acknowledging that life elsewhere in the universe is statistically plausible, he stressed there was no evidence of alien contact during his presidency.
In an Instagram post, he wrote, “I saw no evidence during my presidency that extraterrestrials have made contact with us. Really!”
He also noted that the vast distances between stars make visits to Earth highly unlikely.
Trump, when asked whether he had seen evidence of extraterrestrials, responded, “I don’t know if they’re real or not”
What the Pentagon says
The Pentagon has expanded investigations into unidentified aerial phenomena in recent years. In 2022, senior defence officials told Congress there was no evidence linking reported sightings to alien activity.
A 2024 Department of Defense review similarly concluded that decades of investigations, stretching back to World War II, uncovered no proof of extraterrestrial technology. Most incidents were attributed to misidentified aircraft, surveillance equipment, or natural atmospheric effects.
Despite renewed political friction, official US assessments continue to find no verified evidence of alien contact.