President Donald Trump checks his hair before sitting down for a podcast interview at the Varsity restaurant in Rome, Georgia, February 19, 2026. REUTERS Kevin Lamarque
President Donald Trump's administration has dropped a new tranche of government materials related to UFOs, and as one prominent GOP pollster pointed out, the timing of the release appears to have given the game away about what they are attempting to distract from.
On Friday, controversial Trump senior adviser Stephen Miller announced in a post to X that a "new tranche of UFO files and videos just dropped," sharing a link to the files on the official Department of Defense website. The administration has been pledging to release previously classified materials pertaining to unidentified flying objects — or, unidentified aerial phenomenon — ever since the subject rocketed back into the public consciousness after an interview with former President Barack Obama.
When pressed in the interview about whether or not aliens were real, Obama said they were, but also stressed that they were not being housed in Area 51. He later clarified that this was simply his personal belief, and not a new revelation based on things he learned as president, but the answer nonetheless sent imaginations spinning.
Since it began releasing materials, the Trump administration has been accused by critics of using UFOs as another in its long line of attempted distractions, hoping to divert attention away from its growing pile of failures and scandals. Responding to Miller on X, Sarah Longwell, a major conservative pollster and publisher of The Bulwark, suggested what this new release might be meant to distract from.
"This Iran deal must be horrible," she posted to X.
Earlier this week, Trump threatened to carry out heavy military strikes against Iran as peace talks with the Middle Eastern nation continued to flounder, but was ultimately talked down by advisers who claimed that a deal was close. Critics, however, have slammed the administration for claiming that a deal is close on a seemingly weekly basis, before reports promptly emerge revealing that talks are still ongoing.
Others on social media similarly criticized the administration for using UFO news as a distraction.
"Translation: inflation is up and our war with Iran is killing us in the polls," economist Matt Kibbe posted to X.
"Anything to avoid the Iran War debacle and high prices," Democratic politician Christopher posted to X.
"The administration really wants to distract you from something. Do not install," podcaster Brent Freeman posted to X.
Christopher Sharp, a journalist and founder of the UFO-centric news outlet, Liberation Times, went a step further, offering suggestions for more meaningful steps the administration could take towards disclosure.
"The question is whether Miller and Trump will now provide whistleblowers with amnesty and immunity," Sharp posted to X. "They should also contemplate reevaluating the [Department of Defense's] stance on UAP."
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