Topline
The Trump administration appeared to register the domain name aliens.gov on Tuesday, about a month after President Donald Trump said he would order relevant government agencies to release government files about alien life, unidentified aerial phenomena and unidentified flying objects.
Steven Greer, ufologist and founded of the Center for the Study of Extraterrestrial Intelligence and the Disclosure Project, delivers remarks on his UFO and Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) research under an artist rendering of an incident, during a press conference on June 12, 2023.
Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty ImagesKey Facts
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency registered the domain Tuesday, according to GoDaddy registry data, though it was not live as of early Wednesday evening.
Trump said last month the files would be released, “Based on the tremendous interest shown,” making the announcement after he accused former President Barack Obama of spilling “classified information” when he said aliens were “real” during a rapid-fire question segment on a progressive podcast.
Forbes has reached out to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency for comment.
Crucial Quote
Obama later clarified his comment on the existence of aliens, saying he was “trying to stick with the spirit of the speed round,” adding in a social media post, “Statistically, the universe is so vast that the odds are good there’s life out there. But the distances between solar systems are so great that the chances we’ve been visited by aliens is low, and I saw no evidence during my presidency that extraterrestrials have made contact with us. Really!”
Tangent
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who has led the accountability charge on the release of the Epstein files alongside Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., wrote on X following Trump’s comments, “They’ve deployed the ultimate weapon of mass distraction, but the Epstein files aren’t going away…even for aliens.”
Contra
A highly anticipated 2024 report from the Pentagon’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, which was triggered by a wave of congressional and public pressure for more transparency around UFO sightings, found “no evidence of extraterrestrial beings, activity, or technology.” However, it did identify 21 cases that were unexplained due to “anomalous characteristics.”
Key Background
Trump also told reporters last month he did not know if aliens were real or not. In 2024, the president said he has not been a “believer,” though he acknowledged he has met “serious people” who have described their own encounters with UAPs. Congress has had a handful of hearings on alien life and UAPs in recent years. Retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Tim Gallaudet alleged to a congressional committee in 2024 that “elements of the government” conducted disinformation campaigns to discredit UAP whistleblowers. Gallaudet called for increased government transparency around UAPs, alongside former Department of Defense official Luis Elizondo, who claimed during the same hearing the U.S. and its adversaries possessed UAP technologies. The Trump administration has repeatedly created new government domains to announce or launch initiatives such as TrumpRx, a direct-to-consumer prescription drug site, and the Trump Gold Card, an expedited immigration program.
Further Reading
Congressional UFO Hearing Features Eye-Opening UAP Claims (Forbes)
Trump Wants Files On UFOs And Aliens Public—But ‘Epstein Files Aren’t Going Away,’ Massie Says (Forbes)