Will Donald Trump Declassify UFO Files? What We Know

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President Donald Trump has signed an order to declassify documents on the murders of President John F. Kennedy, Senator Robert F. Kennedy and the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.—prompting calls that he also declassify documents on unidentified flying objects.

Newsweek contacted the White House and Senator Chuck Schumer for comment via email.

Why It Matters

There has been a bipartisan push in Congress to have the government declassify information related to unidentified anomalous phenomena. In the previous congressional term, Schumer, a Democrat, and Republican Senator Mike Rounds introduced a bill requiring the government to disclose all current and former records on UAPs to the public unless officials can provide a reason for them to remain classified.

Donald Trump UFOs
A composite image of President Donald Trump signing executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House on January 23 and a UFO photo shoot by the photographer Tschiponnique Skupin, with body painter Enrico... Main: Ben Curtis, Inset: Tschiponnique Skupin/Geisler-Fotopress/Main: AP Photo, Inset: dpa/AP Images

What To Know

On Thursday, Trump signed an executive order to declassify documents on the assassinations of JFK, RFK and MLK, saying their families and the American people "deserve the truth."

On X, formerly Twitter, the White House posted about the order, which prompted a reply from Schumer. "Now do UFOs," the Senate minority leader wrote.

In a September episode of the Lex Fridman Podcast, Trump briefly discussed his plan to release more information about President Kennedy's assassination. He also touched on the topic of UFOs. When the host asked the then-presidential candidate if he would "help push the Pentagon to release more footage, which a lot of people claim is available," Trump said he would.

Toward the end of 2024, the topic of UFOs and UAPs received renewed attention as mysterious drones began appearing over the East Coast and elsewhere.

Schumer requested special detection systems for New York and New Jersey amid the drone sightings, which spread panic among residents.

Residents and lawmakers alike said they felt the federal government was keeping them in the dark. They accused officials of withholding information from the public about what the drones were and who was controlling them.

New Jersey Senator Andy Kim said in December that he had requested information from the federal government and received none, leading him to investigate the drones himself.

While he found that they were mostly airplanes, he said, "Federal experts should provide information and guidance to the public including local police departments like the one that took me out to help them decipher what they are seeing."

On January 9, Trump said his administration would release a report on the origins of the drones about "one day" into his second term.

He also said in December that people should shoot the drones down, which the FBI asked people not to do. The agency also said many of the sightings were likely misidentified manned aircraft.

What People Are Saying

Trump said in June: "When I return to the White House, I will declassify and unseal all JFK assassination related documents. It's been 60 years, time for the American people to know the TRUTH!"

Schumer said of his UAP bill in December 2023: "The measure would create a board just like with the JFK assassination records to work through the declassification of the many government records on UAPs … This model has been a terrific success for decades and should be used with UAPs."

What Happens Next

Schumer and Rounds' UAP bill passed through the Senate in 2023, but it failed to be authorized by Congress in 2024. While Trump appears open to declassification, it remains to be seen whether he would sign a similar bill if it made it to his desk.

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