Clean-up in Area 51: Obama forced to clarify his claim that aliens exist

‘Statistically, the universe is so vast that the odds are good there’s life out there,’ Obama said, as he explained his theory

Former President Barack Obama has been forced to clarify his bombshell claim that aliens truly do exist.

The former commander-in-chief initially made the extraordinary revelation over the weekend during an appearance on the No Lie With Brian Tyler Cohen podcast.

His confident answer quickly went viral, sparking rampant speculation about how much the government really knows about extraterrestrials.

“They're real, but I haven't seen them, and they're not being kept in – what is it?” Obama initially said. “There's no underground facility, unless there's this enormous conspiracy and they hid it from the president of the United States.”

But the internet, in typical fashion, focused more on Obama claiming that aliens were “real” than on the fact that he had never seen them.

That led him to clarify his answer on Instagram.

President Obama said that he believes aliens must exist because the universe is so vast (Getty Images)

“I was trying to stick with the spirit of the speed round, but since it’s gotten attention let me clarify,” the former president wrote. “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.”

Doubling down on his claim, he added, “Really!”

Some users, though, were not convinced.

“Blink twice if the aliens made you say this,” one said.

“No contact with us…YET,” another added.

During his interview with Brian Tyler Cohen, Obama joked about the alien rumors.

“What was the first question you wanted answered when you became president?” Cohen asked the former president.

“Where are the aliens?” Obama replied, with a laugh.

For decades Americans have wondered about the existence of aliens and the mysterious desert holding facility Area 51, and now Barack Obama – after two terms as president – has finally given an answer (Getty)

Conspiracy theories that aliens and UFOs are hidden at the mysterious Area 51 base in southern Nevada have long-obsessed many.

It has been suggested that the military facility contains reverse-engineered alien spacecraft made from materials supposedly recovered at Roswell, New Mexico, in 1947.

Others have speculated that the site is used to develop time travel technology, weather control devices and even intergalactic superweapons.

Obama’s comments on Area 51 and aliens came several months after the director of a documentary suggested that Donald Trump may soon confirm the existence of other life forms.

In his film The Age of Disclosure, Dan Farah suggests that a massive government cover-up operation has hidden the existence of non-human intelligence, but that time is running out for the cover-up.

“I think it's only a matter of time before the release of this film is followed by a sitting president stepping to the podium and telling the world, ‘We're not alone in the universe,’” Farah told Entertainment Weekly in late November.

“It's the most significant moment a leader could possibly have.”

The Independent contacted the White House for comment at the time.

Obama’s comments come several months after the director of a documentary, alleging a major government cover-up of non-human intelligence, suggested that Donald Trump may soon confirm the existence of aliens (Getty Images)

Despite Farah’s claims, Trump has not yet come forward publicly with a definitive answer about the existence of aliens, but he mused over the possibility of extraterrestrial life during several interviews before his return to the White House.

In July 2024, Trump told influencer Logan Paul that he wasn’t a “believer.”

He added, “Probably I can’t say I am. But I have met with people that are serious people that say there’s some really strange things that they see flying around out there.”

Months later, in September 2024, when podcaster Lex Fridman asked the president whether he would push to release more footage of UAPs – or unidentified aerial phenomena – Trump replied: “I’ll do that. I would do that. I’d love to do that. I have to do that.”

The following month, Trump discussed the idea of intelligent life beyond Earth with Joe Rogan, saying the subject has “never been my thing.”

When Rogan asked what he thought about the existence of alien life, Trump said: “There's no reason not to think that Mars and all these planets don't have life.”