In July 2025, Seth Meyers joked during his monologue on Late Night with Seth Meyers, “We’re just one Epstein story away from Trump announcing that UFOs are real.” Seven months later, that joke was all too real.
On Thursday evening, Donald Trump took to Truth Social. On there, he let his followers know that he will be directing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth 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).”
The alien tease came just as Trump’s ties to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein are a hot topic.
In July 2025, The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump’s name was in the Epstein files. At the time, Attorney General Pam Bondi reportedly informed him that he was included in it, which raised questions about who knew what.
Meyers joked about that on his “Closer Look” segment. He mocked that Trump was redirecting attention toward former President Barack Obama, as whatever was in the Epstein files “must be really bad.” He asked if the documents were being renamed “The Trump Files: Featuring Jeffrey Epstein.” Then Meyers said that if one more Epstein story comes out, UFOs would be real.
RELATED: Yes, It’s Real’: Uncovered Epstein Message Contradicts Trump’s Account
🚨 Trump talks about releasing UFO & Alien files
US President Donald J. Trump says government departments may start identifying and releasing files related to:
🛸 UFOs
👽 Alien life
Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP)
The idea is to make some secret government information…
— Swapnil Kommawar (@KommawarSwapnil) February 20, 2026
Before Trump’s latest Truth Social post, his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, hinted on a podcast that a “major” speech could touch on alien life. Meanwhile, Obama had just discussed extraterrestrials with podcaster Brian Tyler Cohen.
Obama said he believes alien life likely exists somewhere in the universe, though there was no evidence of contact during his presidency and nothing in Area 51. “The distances between solar systems are so great,” he explained on Instagram.
“The chances we’ve been visited by aliens is low.”
When asked about Obama’s remarks, Trump accused him of sharing “classified information.” His stance was that “I don’t know if they’re real or not,” Trump told reporters. “I never talk about it. A lot of people do.” Except now he is.
🚨President Trump says he may declassify the alien files, Obama revealed classified information
Doocy: “Barack Obama said aliens are real. Have you seen any evidence of non-human visitors to Earth?”
Trump: “He gave classified information. He’s not supposed to be doing that.”… pic.twitter.com/9DbffHyVn2
— UAP James (@UAPJames) February 19, 2026
The alien-file rollout coincides with the fact that in February 2026, Reps. Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna accused the Justice Department of “inappropriately” redacting names in documents released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
Some files were later updated, but the FBI may have“scrubbed” key details. Rep. Jamie Raskin called the limited congressional access to the millions of documents a “cover-up,” while Rep. Lauren Boebert said people are “implicated” in the files.
So, if the next Epstein headline drops tomorrow, should we start watching the skies?
NEXT UP: Seth Meyers Roasts Trump’s Excuse for Not Attending the Super Bowl
