--- title: Obama Says Aliens Are ‘Real,’ But They Aren’t Being Kept at Area 51 description: Obama also condemned ICE's actions in Minnesota and commented on a video posted by Trump that targeted him and his wife. canonical: https://time.com/7378768/obama-aliens-real-area-51/ author: Richard Hall article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2026-02-15T13:44:16.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-11T00:56:22.384Z article:section: Science og:title: Obama Says Aliens Are ‘Real,’ But They Aren’t at Area 51 og:description: The former president also condemned the actions of ICE in Minnesota and commented on a video posted by Trump. og:url: https://time.com/7378768/obama-aliens-real-area-51/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4ed391121b4aebc6/6998cf431f67093b1df57573/AP25232669197396.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5267 og:image:height: 2963 og:image:alt: Election 2025 Redistricting Obama og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Obama Says Aliens Are ‘Real,’ But They Aren’t at Area 51 twitter:description: The former president also condemned the actions of ICE in Minnesota and commented on a video posted by Trump. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4ed391121b4aebc6/6998cf431f67093b1df57573/AP25232669197396.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Barack Obama Says Aliens Are ‘Real,’ But They Aren’t Being Kept at Area 51 > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Future Proof: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Future Proof is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Making sense of the climate and energy economy. Future Proof examines the forces transforming energy and climate, and what those changes mean for business, technology, policy and the global economy. Senior correspondent Justin Worland goes beyond traditional climate coverage to connect the energy transition to the bigger decisions reshaping companies, markets and society. 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It reaches 40,000 subscribers with a 34.2% open rate and a 2.1% click rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I follow the energy transition as a business story? Future Proof covers climate and energy as an economic and business story rather than only an environmental one. It publishes every Friday and is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who writes Future Proof? Justin Worland, a senior correspondent at TIME and an award-winning climate journalist, writes Future Proof. #### Is Future Proof free? Yes. Future Proof is free at time.com/newsletters.  by [Richard Hall](https://time.com/author/richard-hall/)  ## Richard Hall Editor Feb 15, 2026 1:44 PM UTC  Former President Barack Obama speaks at the Obama Foundation Democracy Forum, Dec. 5, 2024, in Chicago. Former President Barack Obama speaks at the Obama Foundation Democracy Forum, Dec. 5, 2024, in Chicago. Erin Hooley—Associated Press  by [Richard Hall](https://time.com/author/richard-hall/)  ## Richard Hall Editor Feb 15, 2026 1:44 PM UTC Former President [Barack Obama](https://time.com/7357822/trump-violence-blame-democrats-federal-agents-shootings-immigration-obama-clinton/) said in an interview published Saturday that aliens are “real,” but added that he hadn’t seen them. Asked by progressive podcaster Brian Tyler Cohen about the existence of extraterrestrial life, the former president [responded](https://x.com/briantylercohen/status/2022808515082096843): “They’re real.” “But I haven’t seen them. They’re not being kept at [Area 51](https://time.com/5629630/visit-area-51/). There’s no underground facility—unless there’s this enormous conspiracy and they hid it from the President of the United States.” The interviewer did not ask a follow-up question on the topic. The brevity of Obama's comment sparked a frenzy of speculation online, prompting the former president to issue a clarification on Instagram 24 hours later. "I was trying to stick with the spirit of the speed round, but since it’s gotten attention let me clarify," he 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. Really!" **Read more**: [_If They Find Life in Space, Scientists Are Worried About Breaking the News. Here’s Why_](https://time.com/7372666/science-communication-extraterrestrial-life-in-space/) The former president also spoke out about the recent deployment of thousands of immigration agents to Minnesota, condemning what he described as “rogue behavior” of the federal government during the months-long enforcement surge. Obama compared the actions of the Trump Administration in Minnesota to behavior that “we’ve seen in authoritarian countries and we’ve seen in dictatorships, but we have not seen in America.” “It is important for us to recognize the unprecedented nature of what ICE was doing in Minneapolis, St. Paul, the way that federal agents, ICE agents were being deployed, without any clear guidelines, training, pulling people out of their homes, using five-year-olds to try to bait their parents,” he said, referring to the case of [5-Year-Old Liam Conejo Ramos](https://time.com/7378100/liam-conejo-ramos-photo-ice-5-year-old/). “So the rogue behavior of agents of the federal government is deeply concerning and dangerous, but we should take a moment to appreciate the extraordinary outpouring of organizing, community building, decency, neighbors buying groceries for folks, accompanying children to school, teachers who were standing up for their kids, not just randomly, but in a systematic, organized way, citizens saying, “this is not the America we believe in,’” he said. Obama, whom Trump succeeded in 2017, had previously spoken out against the federal immigration operations in Minneapolis following the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good by federal agents. In a statement with his wife Michelle [posted on X](https://x.com/BarackObama/status/2015479691147149747/photo/1) after Pretti's death, Obama claimed that Trump and officials in his Administration “seem eager to escalate the situation” instead of “trying to impose some semblance of discipline and accountability over the agents they’ve deployed.” “This has to stop,” Obama said. “I would hope that after this most recent tragedy, Administration officials will reconsider their approach.” The Trump Administration said Thursday it is winding down its massive immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota following months of unrest over excessive use of force by immigration officers in the state, including the shooting deaths of Pretti and Good. “I have proposed and President Trump has concurred that this surge operation conclude,” border czar Tom Homan told reporters in a press conference in Minneapolis on Thursday. President Donald Trump sent Homan, his top immigration advisor, to Minnesota [late last month](https://time.com/7377981/minneapolis-ice-tom-homan-trump-immigration/) to address large-scale protests over excessive use of force by immigration officers in the state. Homan took over leadership of “Operation Metro Surge” from Border Patrol commander [Gregory Bovino](https://time.com/7358326/greg-bovino-minneapolis-shooting-trump-immigration-border-patrol/) and quickly set up meetings with local and state leaders, including sheriffs, police chiefs, Governor Tim Walz, Minneapolis [Mayor Jacob Frey](https://time.com/7368943/jacob-frey-minneapolis-mayor-ice-operation/), and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison. Obama also responded indirectly to the recent controversy over a video posted by President Donald Trump that depicted him and First Lady Michelle Obama as apes. When asked about it, Obama commented on how there is a "sort of clown show that’s happening in social media and on television.” "What is true is there doesn't seem to be any shame about this among people who used to feel like you had to have some sense of decorum and a sense of propriety and respect for the office. So that's been lost," he added. Trump has refused to apologize for posting the video, saying he instructed a staffer to share it but that he had not seen the offending part. "I didn't see the whole thing," Trump said. "I looked at the first part, and it was really about voter fraud in the machines, how crooked it is, how disgusting it is. Then I gave it to the people. Generally, they look at the whole thing. But I guess somebody didn't." TIME has approached the White House for comment. _This story was updated to include President Obama's clarification on his comment_s _about extraterrestrial life._ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7378768/obama-aliens-real-area-51/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7378768/obama-aliens-real-area-51/"},"headline":"Barack Obama Says Aliens Are ‘Real,’ But They Aren’t Being Kept at Area 51","datePublished":"2026-02-15T13:44:16.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-11T00:56:22.384Z","description":"In a rare post-presidency interview, Obama also condemned ICE's actions in Minnesota and commented on a video posted by Trump that targeted him and his wife.","url":"https://time.com/7378768/obama-aliens-real-area-51/","keywords":["Space","Donald Trump","News Desk"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4ed391121b4aebc6/6998cf431f67093b1df57573/AP25232669197396.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Richard Hall","jobTitle":"Editor","url":"https://time.com/author/richard-hall/"}],"articleSection":"Science","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4ed391121b4aebc6/6998cf431f67093b1df57573/AP25232669197396.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Election 2025 Redistricting Obama","caption":"Election 2025 Redistricting Obama","creditText":"Erin Hooley—Associated Press","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/science/","name":"Science"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/space/","name":"Space"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/7378768/obama-aliens-real-area-51/","name":"Barack Obama Says Aliens Are ‘Real,’ But They Aren’t Being Kept at Area 51"}}]}] ```