TRUMP opens the alien files: Why Americans lean into conspiracies



Monday, February 23, 2026-President Donald Trump has ignited fresh public fascination with extraterrestrial mysteries by directing the U.S. government to identify and release files related to aliens, UFOs and unidentified aerial phenomena

The move, announced in February 2026, follows high-profile comments by former President Barack Obama suggesting that alien life could statistically exist, even if there’s no evidence of contact. Trump accused Obama of mishandling classified information and promised greater transparency, a decision that immediately sent speculation surging across social media and news cycles.

Experts say this moment taps into a longstanding vein of conspiratorial thinking in American culture. Belief in government secrets about UFOs and aliens doesn’t just come from fringe corners of the internet — it reflects a wider public effort to make sense of uncertainty and opaque institutions. 

For many Americans, theories about hidden knowledge or cover-ups offer a narrative that feels more complete than official accounts, especially when trust in institutions is low and information gaps persist. Researchers note that conspiracist thinking isn’t limited to one political ideology and, in the U.S., fascination with the unknown has become a part of how people interpret broader social and political chaos.

This surge in interest shows how powerful the mix of mystery, mistrust, and media spectacle can be. Whenever controversial topics like UFOs or “alien files” are in the spotlight, they quickly become symbols in larger cultural debates about transparency, authority, and truth itself. 

Whether or not the documents reveal anything groundbreaking, the reaction underscores how deeply conspiracy theories are woven into public imagination — not just as fringe beliefs, but as frameworks people use to grapple with a complex and unpredictable world.

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