'Very interesting documents' related to UFOs will be released 'soon', says Trump

Donald Trump has promised some "very interesting documents" related to UFOs will be released by the US defence department "very, very soon".

Speaking in Phoenix, the US president reminded the crowd how in February he had instructed his defence secretary Pete Hegseth to begin releasing files related to "alien and extra-terrestrial life".

At a Turning Point USA event on Friday, Mr Trump said: "This process is well under way, and we found many very interesting documents, I must say.

"The first releases will begin very, very soon."

Some US politicians have been pushing for a disclosure of government files related to unidentified aerial phenomena, or UAPs, after ex-president Barack Obama said in February "the odds were good there's life out there".

Mr Trump has not said he believes the phenomena are of alien origin.

The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the timeline for a release of documents, or what the release may contain, Sky's US partner NBC News reported.

Republican Representative Tim Burchett shared a clip online of Mr Trump's latest remarks alongside the caption: "Thank you for keeping your word to me."

But critics have suggested the president could be using the discussions around UFOs to distract from the controversy surrounding the Epstein files.

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Back in February, Republican representative Thomas Massie branded the move to release UFO documents "the ultimate weapon of mass distraction".

"The Epstein files aren't going away... even for aliens", he added.

The president, whose name appears in the files, has denied any wrongdoing in connection with Jeffrey Epstein's crimes.

The Pentagon said in November 2024 it received hundreds of reports on UAPs following a 2024 hearing, including 21 that were worthy of "further analysis" due to "anomalous characteristics and/or behaviours".

However, officials said they did not find evidence to substantiate life from another planet in any of the reports received.

Also, a Pentagon report from March 2024 found there was no credible evidence US authorities covered up findings of UFOs or UAPs that revealed extraterrestrial life, writing that "most sightings were the result of misidentification of ordinary objects and phenomena".

(c) Sky News 2026: 'Very interesting documents' related to UFOs will be released 'soon', says Trump