ANKARA
Following former US President Barack Obama's remarks on the reality of aliens and US President Donald Trump announcing that he would instruct government agencies to release files on aliens and “unidentified flying objects” (UFOs), the long-debated possibility of extraterrestrial life has once again captured public attention.
The possibility of life on other planets has long been at the center of conspiracy theories and has inspired countless works of science fiction.
In recent days, following Obama’s remarks that statistically the odds are there could be extraterrestrials and Trump’s announcement that he would order the release of files related to aliens and UFOs, the topic has risen to the top of the public agenda once more.
While some people frequently accuse authorities of concealing findings about extraterrestrial life and lacking transparency, official institutions state that there is no concrete or verified evidence supporting such claims. But there is no denying that public interest has repeatedly brought the possibility to the forefront.
Beginning of mass interest in UFOs
In the mid-20th century, notable developments in modern UFO sightings began attracting worldwide attention.
On June 24, 1947, American businessman and pilot Kenneth Arnold reported seeing strange objects moving very rapidly across the sky, sparking widespread public curiosity.
Some newspapers described the UFOs as “flying disks,” turning the image into a popular cultural symbol.
Shortly afterward, on July 8, 1947, debris from a crashed object in Roswell was initially described by the US Army as a “flying disk.”
After the incident caused a major stir, military officials retracted the statement, announcing that the debris belonged to a crashed weather balloon.
Since then, the “Roswell incident” has remained shrouded in mystery and has become a symbol of claims that the government covered up evidence of alien life.
Alien abduction cases
UFO debates in the United States, which began after 1947, took on a new dimension in the 1960s with stories of alien abductions.
The first widely known alien abduction case involved Betty and Barney Hill, who claimed they were abducted by extraterrestrials in rural New Hampshire in September 1961.
Another striking example came in 1975 in Arizona, when Travis Walton claimed he was taken by aliens. His story was later adapted into the 1993 film Fire in the Sky.
Pilot testimonies
In November 2004, US Navy pilots reported seeing a strange craft off the coast of San Diego that appeared capable of maneuvers beyond the limits of known science and technology.
Ten years later, other pilots on the US East Coast reported experiencing similar incidents between June 2014 and March 2015, stating that they saw UFOs almost daily.
In subsequent years, the term “Unidentified Aerial Phenomena” (UAP) began to be used instead of UFO, as it was considered more precise.
During a hearing held in the US Congress on July 26, 2023, three former US intelligence officials testified about the aircraft observed by pilots in 2004.
After serving 14 years as an intelligence officer, David Grusch claimed that “intact and partially intact” alien vehicles had been recovered and that the government had concealed information about the issue for years.
Former Navy pilot Ryan Graves described a UAP as resembling “a dark gray or black cube inside a transparent sphere,” emphasizing that such encounters were “not rare.”
A third witness, former Navy Commander David Fravor, recounted seeing an oval-shaped object “hovering over the ocean” off California in 2004 with another pilot.
No evidence of extraterrestrial origin: Pentagon
In a UAP report published in November 2024, the US Department of Defense (Pentagon) announced that 485 UAP incidents were reported between May 1, 2023, and June 1, 2024.
The report also included 272 additional incidents from 2021 and 2022 that had not previously been recorded.
Of the 485 cases, 118 were determined to involve ordinary objects such as balloons, birds, or drones. Investigations into the remaining incidents are ongoing.
According to the report, as of Oct. 24, 2024, the Pentagon’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office had reviewed more than 1,600 UAP cases in total and found no evidence pointing to extraterrestrial beings, events, or technology.
Most UFO reports come from US
The National UFO Reporting Center, established to collect and verify UFO sighting reports worldwide, has processed more than 180,000 cases since its founding.
According to current data, the US ranks first in the number of reported UFO cases. The state of California leads with more than 17,000 reported sightings.
California is followed by Florida (8,831 reports), New York (6,309), Ohio (4,704), and Arizona (5,304).
After the United States, the highest number of reports comes from Canada, the UK, and Australia, respectively.
56% of Americans Believe in Aliens
Public opinion polls indicate that belief in the existence of aliens is steadily increasing, especially in the US, where the idea is becoming more widely accepted.
According to a survey conducted by YouGov between November 4–9, 2025, among 1,114 Americans, 56% of respondents believe aliens “definitely” or “probably” exist.
Thirty percent believe UFOs are likely spacecraft or related to alien life forms, while 45% think there is another explanation. The remaining 25% said they were unsure.
Additionally, 47% believe aliens have definitely or probably visited Earth, while 37% believe they have probably or definitely not visited.
Recent debate over reality of aliens
On Feb. 16, Obama addressed a question about whether aliens are real during a podcast appearance, responding, “They’re real, but I haven’t seen them.”
His remark sparked widespread discussion on social media. Obama later clarified in a social media post that he had been trying to keep up with a rapid-fire round of questions.
He added that statistically, given the vastness of the universe, the likelihood of other life forms existing is high.
However, due to the immense distances between solar systems, the probability that Earth has been visited by aliens is low.
“I saw no evidence during my presidency that extraterrestrial beings had contacted us. None whatsoever,” Obama stated.
Trump, speaking to reporters, claimed that Obama had revealed “classified” information and had made “a big mistake.”
Later, in a social media post, Trump said that due to the strong public interest, he would instruct the Secretary of Defense and other relevant ministries and institutions to identify and begin the process of releasing files related to aliens, extraterrestrial life, UAPs, and UFOs.
*Writing by Esra Tekin in Istanbul
