President Donald Trump has accused former President Barack Obama of improperly disclosing βclassified informationβ after Obama appeared to affirm the existence of aliens in a recent podcast interview.
“He gave classified information. Heβs not supposed to be doing that,” Trump said, without citing specific evidence that Obama had shared actual classified material. “I donβt know if theyβre real or not. I can tell you, he gave classified information. Heβs not supposed to be doing that β he made a big mistake. He took it out of classified information.”
Trump was responding to Obamaβs remarks on the Brian Tyler Cohen Podcast Show, where the former president appeared to confirm that extraterrestrial life could exist. βThey’re real, but I havenβt seen them,β Obama said when asked directly if aliens exist. He went on to dismiss long-running conspiracies about secret bases, saying, βTheyβre not being kept in Area 51. Thereβs no underground facility β unless thereβs this enormous conspiracy and they hid it from the President of the United States.β
His comment went viral on social media, prompting pushback even before Trump weighed in. Obama then clarified his remarks with a social media post, writing that while the statistical odds of extraterrestrial life may be high given the vastness of the universe, he had seen βno evidence during my presidency that extraterrestrials have made contact with us.β
Despite that clarification, Trumpβs allies have seized on the initial soundbite as an alleged national security breach. Fox News reported Trumpβs criticism directly, quoting him as repeating that Obama βgave classified informationβ and that Obamaβs remarks were a βbig mistakeβ β a point Trump attributed to what he described as an improper disclosure of sensitive info.
No official review by intelligence or defense agencies has supported Trumpβs allegation that Obama disclosed actual classified material in the podcast. Reuters reporting noted that Trump βdid not cite any evidenceβ to support claims of a security breach and that Obama was merely answering a speculative question about unidentified aerial phenomena.
Independent fact-checking outlets and Pentagon records emphasize that existing U.S. investigations into UFOs β now typically referred to as unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs) β have not produced evidence of extraterrestrial visitation or recovered alien technology. Official statements from senior military leaders continue to classify most sightings as unidentified but not alien in origin.
Still, the political frame has intensified. Trumpβs comments come as he navigates a broader narrative about government transparency and classified information, an issue his administration has faced over other disputes involving sensitive documents. Critics say the presidentβs attack on Obama mixes geopolitics with science fiction, while supporters view it as a sharp rebuke of loose talk about national secrets.
Obama himself has not commented directly on Trumpβs allegation. In 2026, former presidents rarely engage publicly with one anotherβs rhetoric, and the Obama camp did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Trumpβs accusation.
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