President Donald Trump’s release of declassified UFO files on Friday drew excitement from longtime transparency advocates — and immediate skepticism from critics on both the Left and Right who argued the timing was meant to distract from the war in Iran, lingering questions surrounding the Jeffrey Epstein case, and voter frustration over inflation.
Trump signed an executive order in February clearing the way for the public release of the federal government’s tranche of materials surrounding Unidentified Aerial Phenomena, popularly known as Unidentified Flying Objects. The Pentagon began following through on that order almost immediately, according to senior administration officials, and released the first tranche of materials on Friday.
“As for my promise to you, the Department of War has released the first tranche of the UFO/UAP files to the Public for their review and study. In an effort for Complete and Maximum Transparency, it was my Honor to direct my Administration to identify and provide Government files related to Alien and Extraterrestrial Life, Unidentified Aerial Phenomena, and Unidentified Flying Objects,” Trump wrote in an accompanying statement on social media. “Whereas previous Administrations have failed to be transparent on this subject, with these new Documents and Videos, the people can decide for themselves, ‘WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?’ Have Fun and Enjoy!”
Some viewers did just that and reveled in newly released videos detailing encounters between American aircraft and potential extraterrestrial objects.
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But others, including a number of prominent voices on the Right, bristled at the administration’s timing.
One former senior Trump White House official, who generally backs Trump but disapproves of the war in Iran, told the Washington Examiner that Friday’s timing is just “smoke and mirrors.”
“The White House says the war is over — whatever — but the negotiations are breaking down in real time,” that person said. “Iran is literally attacking our boats in the strait. How isn’t that a resumption of fighting?”
“Plus, the diplomatic solution the president is offering sounds an awful lot like the Obama nuclear deal which, unless I’m mistaken, was absolutely terrible and we all hated,” the former Trump aide continued with a laugh. “Only a seriously low IQ individual wouldn’t be able to connect the dots here.”
A number of Republican lawmakers, including Reps. Tim Burchett (R-TN) and Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), previewed Friday’s release on Thursday.
Podcaster Joe Rogan sat down with Burchett for an interview that aired Friday, where he pressed the congressman on whether the files were meant to distract from the war in Iran.
“What doesn’t totally make sense is why now … other than — I mean, this is being cynical — the Iran war isn’t going very well,” Rogan, who backed Trump in 2024 but has since soured on his policies, said to Burchett. “The American public’s very upset. A lot of people don’t think we should ever have been involved in that in the first place and we need some good news.”
Former Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene was one of Trump’s staunchest defenders before the administration’s handling of inflation and the Epstein files earned her the president’s ire last year and an early retirement.
She reacted even more cynically than Rogan on Friday, posting on X that she “really” doesn’t “care about the UFO files,” despite her past comments on the issue.
“I’m so sick of the ‘look at the shiny object’ propaganda while they wage foreign wars, let rapist and pedophiles run free, and ruin the value of our dollar,” she posted. “Unless they roll out live aliens and test demo UFOs or actually admit what we know this really is then I have way better things to do on this Friday.”
“The most transparent administration in history still hasn’t released all the Epstein files or arrested anyone, but rolled out some UFO files today so you would get so excited that you forgot you are paying over $4.50/gallon because they are fighting another foreign war they said they would no longer fight,” Greene added in a follow-up post.
White House officials discounted the criticism.
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“President Trump directed the Department of War to identify and release government files related to alien and extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena, and unidentified flying objects because he is the most transparent president in history,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly told the Washington Examiner, echoing Trump’s rationale on the timing of the release. “While past administrations have sought to discredit or dissuade the American people, the President is focused on providing maximum disclosure to the public, who can ultimately make up their own minds about the information contained in these files. The American people asked, and President Trump delivered — enjoy!”
