Trump admin releases highly anticipated files documenting UFOs, ‘extraterrestrial life’

Trump admin releases highly anticipated files documenting UFOs, 'extraterrestrial life'

Release includes Apollo operator transcripts describing 'jagged, angular fragments' seen from the spacecraft

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FIRST ON FOX — The Trump administration on Friday released a batch of "never-before-seen" files and videos on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomenon (UAP) as part of an effort to increase transparency on government knowledge of extraterrestrial phenomenon.

"The latest UAP videos, photos, and original source documents from across the entire United States government are all in one place – no clearance required. While past administrations sought to discredit or dissuade the American people, President Trump is focused on providing maximum transparency to the public, who can ultimately make up their own minds about the information contained in these files," the White House said in a statement to Fox News.

The release is a function of President Donald Trump's Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters (PURSUE) program.

Photos from the initial disclosure, which a White House official told Fox News is the first of a series of releases, show strangely shaped objects captured on film during the Apollo 12 and Apollo 17 space missions.

One photo taken from the surface of the moon appears to show a cluster of three tiny dots in the sky.

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A photo from the Apollo 17 moon landing that highlights three dots in the sky as seen from the moon's surface. (Department of War)

A transcript of communications between Apollo 17 operators released in the disclosure Friday details the operators' exchange over the unknown phenomenon.

"Now we've got a few very bright particles or fragments or something that go drifting by as we maneuver," an operator told the command center.

"Roger. Understand," the center replied.

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"There's a whole bunch of big ones on my window down there – just bright. It looks like the Fourth of July out of Ron's window," another operator added.

"Yes. Now you can see some of them in shape. They're very jagged, angular fragments that are tumbling," the first operator said.

Another pair of photos from the release come from the FBI and contain images from New Year's Eve 1999 showing other UAPs in the same image as U.S. aircraft.

An FBI photo containing two black dots that appear to be UAPs (Federal Bureau of Investigations)

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In February, after former President Barack Obama told a podcaster that aliens were real, Fox News senior White House correspondent Peter Doocy asked Trump directly about the existence of aliens.

"He gave classified information. He’s not supposed to be doing that," Trump said of Obama. "I don’t know if they’re real or not. I can tell you, he gave classified information. He’s not supposed to be doing that – he made a big mistake. He took it out of classified information."

Days later, Trump announced in a Truth Social post that he would be declassifying files related to the subject.

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"Based on the tremendous interest shown, I will be directing the Secretary of War, and other relevant Departments and Agencies, to begin the process of identifying and releasing Government files related to alien and extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), and unidentified flying objects (UFOs), and any and all other information connected to these highly complex, but extremely interesting and important, matters. GOD BLESS AMERICA!" he wrote.

Numerous agency heads commented on the release, calling it an unprecedented step in transparency.

"The Department of War is in lockstep with President Trump to bring unprecedented transparency regarding our government’s understanding of Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena," Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said.

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"These files, hidden behind classifications, have long fueled justified speculation — and it’s time the American people see it for themselves. This release of declassified documents demonstrates the Trump Administration’s earnest commitment to unprecedented transparency," he concluded.

"The American people have long sought transparency about the government’s knowledge of unidentified anomalous phenomena," Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard added.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard testifies during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on worldwide threats at the Hart Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C., on March 18, 2026. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

"Under President Trump’s leadership, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence is actively coordinating the Intelligence Community’s declassification efforts with the Department of War to ensure a careful, comprehensive, and unprecedented review of our holdings to provide the American people with maximum transparency. Today’s release is the first in what will be an ongoing joint declassification and release effort."

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FBI Director Kash Patel added, "The FBI is proud to stand alongside President Trump and our interagency partners in this landmark release of UAP records. For the first time in history, the American people have unfettered access to declassified government files on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomenon – a level of transparency that no prior administration has delivered. The FBI remains committed to supporting this rolling declassification effort with the same rigorous and integrity we bring to every national security matter. As these files continue to be reviewed and release, the American people can be confident that their security remains our highest priority."

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman also weighed in. "I applaud President Trump’s whole-of-government effort to bring greater transparency to the American people on unidentified anomalous phenomena," Isaacman said.

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"At NASA, our job is to bring the brightest minds and most advanced scientific instruments to bear, follow the data, and share what we learn. We will remain candid about what we know to be true, what we have yet to understand, and all that remains to be discovered. Exploration and the pursuit of knowledge are core to NASA’s mission as we endeavor to unlock the secrets of the universe," he concluded.

A large batch of UAP files will be available at WAR.GOV/UFO.

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