In a move that sent shockwaves through the UFO community, former President Donald Trump recently took to social media with a bold promise. He vowed that, if re-elected, he would direct executive agencies to identify and release all files pertaining to alien life, UFOs, and Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAPs). While this pledge has ignited excitement among those seeking transparency, investigative journalist Ross Coulthart argues that such a promise requires more than just words—it needs the force of an executive order to back it up.
The Promise of Transparency
Trump’s announcement taps into a growing public and congressional demand for clarity on a topic long shrouded in government secrecy. For decades, the subject of UFOs has been relegated to the fringes, dismissed as science fiction. However, in recent years, credible military pilot testimonies, declassified videos, and official government reports have forced a mainstream reckoning. The establishment of the Pentagon’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) signaled a shift, but many believe the full story remains locked away.
Trump’s pledge directly addresses this frustration, positioning him as a potential disruptor of the longstanding policy of obfuscation. By promising to “ask executive agencies” to release files, he is speaking to a base of supporters and curious citizens who view government opacity as an unacceptable barrier to the truth.
Why an Executive Order is Non-Negotiable
According to Coulthart, a seasoned journalist who has extensively covered the UAP topic, a simple request or directive may not be enough. The bureaucratic and institutional resistance to full disclosure is believed to be deeply entrenched, spanning multiple agencies and private contractors with security clearances.
An executive order carries the full weight of the presidency. It is a legally binding directive issued to federal agencies on how to manage operations within the executive branch. For a topic as compartmentalized and sensitive as UAPs, a formal executive order would be necessary to:
- Compel Compliance: It would mandate action, moving beyond a voluntary “ask” to a required disclosure process.
- Override Secrecy Provisions: It could potentially declassify specific categories of information, bypassing standard protocols that have kept documents hidden for generations.
- Centralize the Effort: It would task a specific office or individual with the responsibility of coordinating across the CIA, Department of Defense, NASA, and other likely holders of relevant data.
Without this formal mechanism, Coulthart suggests, any presidential promise could be stalled, diluted, or ignored by what some insiders refer to as “the legacy program”—a hidden bureaucracy within the government that manages the UAP issue without oversight.
The Road Ahead for UFO Disclosure
The conversation is no longer about whether unexplained objects exist in our skies; official government reports have confirmed they do. The central question now is about origin, intent, and what the government has known, and for how long. Trump’s pledge brings this question to the forefront of a presidential campaign for the first time.
However, the path to true transparency is fraught with legal, national security, and political challenges. Even with an executive order, the process would be complex, likely facing legal challenges and intense scrutiny from defense and intelligence committees.
For advocates of disclosure, the focus is now on specifics. What would the executive order say? Which agencies would be prioritized? How would the information be reviewed and released to the public without compromising legitimate security concerns? The devil, as always, will be in the details.
Trump’s social media post has undoubtedly raised the stakes in the ongoing debate over government transparency on UFOs. But as Ross Coulthart emphasizes, turning campaign rhetoric into historical disclosure will require the unequivocal power of the president’s pen. The promise of unlocked files hinges on the signing of an order.
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