...
By Marni Rose McFall
Reporter
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
The chances of President Donald Trump declassifying files on UFO’s spiked on Polymarket today, surging to 53 percent, after the Trump administration has registered the federal domain Aliens.gov, amid renewed public interest in unidentified anomalous phenomena.
Why It Matters
The president, in February, pledged to release more government records on the subject. Trump has repeatedly addressed the subject of aliens and UFOs over the years, and previously said that he had received briefings as president on reported UFO sightings by U.S. pilots.
Read More on News
...
While Trump has said that he has met with “serious people” who claim to have seen unexplained objects, he has generally struck a tone of skepticism as opposed to outright belief. He has described himself as “not a believer,” but said that “anything is possible."
Former President Barack Obama said in February that aliens are real, though he had not personally seen them, and that they are not in Area 51. This, in turn, prompted a wave of interest.
Obama later downplayed his comments in a post on social media, in which he said: "Statistically, the universe is so vast that the odds are good there’s life out there. But the distances between solar systems are so great that the chances we’ve been visited by aliens is low, and I saw no evidence during my presidency that extraterrestrials have made contact with us. Really!"
What To Know
The spike to 53 percent came early on March 19, but in a few hours, it dropped to 11 percent.
The Polymarket is specifically betting on the president declassifying files by March 31. It started at a 43 percent chance on February 22, but has fluctuated since then, dropping to a low of 7 percent on March 15.
The rules of that Polymarket read: “This market will resolve to 'Yes' if the Trump administration declassifies any files pertaining to extraterrestrial life and/or unexplained aerial phenomena which were not previously publicly available by March 31, 2026, 11:59 PM ET. Otherwise, this market will resolve to 'No'.”
Currently, aliens rank as the number 1 Hot Topic on the Polymarket website.
A Polymarket that bets on “Will the US confirm that aliens exist before 2027?” has also surged. As of reporting, it stands at a chance of 19 percent, up from 16 percent on March 18.
The rules of that Polymarket read, “This market will resolve to 'Yes' if the President of the United States, any member of the Cabinet of the United States, any member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, or any US federal agency definitively states that extraterrestrial life or technology exists by December 31, 2026, 11:59 PM ET. Otherwise, this market will resolve to 'No'.”
The majority of Americans believe in intelligent life beyond Earth, according to a 2021 study from the Pew Research Center, which said that nearly two-thirds of Americans believe.
Some Americans believe that there is proof of UFOs and alien life being concealed from the public by global governments, but this belief is held by a significant minority.
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump, on Truth Social in February: “Based on the tremendous interest shown, I will be directing the Secretary of War, and other relevant Departments and Agencies, 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).”
What Happens Next
Federal officials have said that the government’s review of unidentified anomalous phenomena is ongoing.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines