🛸 Former President Barack Obama said he saw no evidence during his presidency that extraterrestrials have made contact with the United States, after a podcast clip in which he seemed to say “aliens are real” spread widely online 13510.
He said he meant it casually, and that as the clip spread, people took it more literally than he intended 9.
Sources
- Obama shuts down alien buzz: 'no evidence during my presidency' [pbs.org] (2026-02-16)
- Obama Walks Back Alien Admission After Interview Clip Goes Viral [pjmedia.com] (2026-02-16)
- Obama shuts down alien buzz and says there’s no evidence they’ve made contact [boston.com] (2026-02-16)
- Obama Denies Knowledge of Extraterrestrial Contact But Says Aliens Are ‘Real’ [rollingstone.com] (2026-02-16)
- Obama shuts down alien buzz and says there's no evidence they've made contact [abcnews.go.com] (2026-02-16)
- Obama appears to walk back comments on aliens [allsides.com] (2026-02-17)
- Obama Clarifies His Aliens Are 'Real' Comments [allsides.com] (2026-02-17)
- Aliens are 'real,' Obama says, as Washington shrugs [allsides.com] (2026-02-17)
- Obama walks back casual claim aliens are ‘real,’ insists he ‘saw no evidence’ during presidency [nypost.com] (2026-02-16)
- Obama: Odds are aliens are real but I saw no signs of contact while president [cbsnews.com] (2026-02-17)
Highlights
- Speed-round context: Obama said his earlier phrasing came "in the spirit of the speed round," and the out-of-context clip fueled confusion once it went viral 6.
- Odds framing: He said alien life seems plausible in a probabilistic sense—“odds are” life exists—while drawing a clear line between that idea and evidence of contact 10.
- Political backdrop: In the wider interview, Obama also criticized President Donald Trump's administration, according to coverage summarizing the conversation 7.
Perspectives
Barack Obama: He said he saw no evidence of extraterrestrial contact while he was president, and that his earlier remark was part of a light, rapid-fire exchange—not a claim of proof.
AllSides (media analysis): It highlighted how a short viral clip and the simplified “aliens are real” framing can travel faster than fuller context and later clarifications.
PJ Media (commentary outlet): It framed the clarification as “backpedaling” after the viral moment, reflecting a more skeptical read of Obama’s comments.