In a move that felt ripped from the script of a late-night comedy sketch, President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he would direct the Pentagon to release classified government files on UFOs . While the promise of extraterrestrial disclosure might excite conspiracy theorists, the timing of the announcement has led many to wonder if it’s a cosmic-scale distraction from a much darker terrestrial scandal: the Jeffrey Epstein files .
The Prediction That Aged Like Fine Wine
The most striking aspect of this week’s UFO news isn’t the “little green men” — it’s how accurately it was predicted seven months ago by comedian Seth Meyers.
Back in July 2025, the walls were closing in on the White House regarding Epstein. The Wall Street Journal had just dropped two bombshells: first, that Trump had sent Epstein a lewd birthday message in 2003, and second, that Attorney General Pam Bondi had informed the president that his name appeared in the Justice Department’s Epstein files . The administration was facing a wave of bad press and bipartisan pressure for full transparency.
Did Trump Just Use Aliens to Bury the Epstein Story? A Timeline of Diversion
In a move that felt ripped from the script of a late-night comedy sketch, President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he would direct the Pentagon to release classified government files on UFOs . While the promise of extraterrestrial disclosure might excite conspiracy theorists, the timing of the announcement has led many to wonder if it’s a cosmic-scale distraction from a much darker terrestrial scandal: the Jeffrey Epstein files .
The Prediction That Aged Like Fine Wine
The most striking aspect of this week’s UFO news isn’t the “little green men” — it’s how accurately it was predicted seven months ago by comedian Seth Meyers.
Back in July 2025, the walls were closing in on the White House regarding Epstein. The Wall Street Journal had just dropped two bombshells: first, that Trump had sent Epstein a lewd birthday message in 2003, and second, that Attorney General Pam Bondi had informed the president that his name appeared in the Justice Department’s Epstein files . The administration was facing a wave of bad press and bipartisan pressure for full transparency.
It was on the July 24 episode of Late Night that Meyers articulated what many were thinking. After watching the administration’s clunky attempts to change the subject, Meyers deadpanned: “Whatever is in those Epstein files must be really f—ing bad… They must be finding so many mentions of Trump, they’re going to have to change the name to ‘The Trump Files: featuring Jeffrey Epstein.'”
Then came the punchline that proved prophetic: “I honestly think we’re just one Epstein story away from Trump announcing that UFOs are real” .
Fast forward to February 19, 2026. With the Epstein controversy still simmering and public frustration growing over redacted documents, Trump took to Truth Social. He announced he would direct the “Secretary of War” (Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth) to begin releasing government files on “alien and extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), and unidentified flying objects (UFOs)” .
A Pattern of Misdirection
The optics of the announcement were hard to ignore. It came just days after a Congressman was granted access to secretive UFO facilities like Area 51, and amid a news cycle heavily focused on the lack of transparency regarding the Epstein case .
Critics and internet users were quick to connect the dots. Following the Truth Social post, social media platform X (formerly Twitter) lit up with skepticism. “Classic misdirection,” one user commented, while another asked pointedly, “Why release these now? to distract from the Eppy files?” . The sentiment was echoed by pundits who noted that while the government has released UFO information before, it has never yielded proof of aliens—making this a safe, headline-grabbing promise that likely won’t produce tangible results .
The Epstein Problem Won’t Go Away
The pressure on Trump regarding Epstein is multifaceted and persistent. While the White House has released tranches of documents, critics argue the releases are incomplete. Congress passed a law in November mandating the release of all materials, yet the Justice Department has still redacted significant portions . This has led to a trust deficit, even among Trump’s base. A Fox News poll indicated that 60% of Republican voters believe the government is withholding critical information about the case .
Trump has attempted to kill the story by labeling it a political hit job. He recently called the renewed scrutiny a “Democrat CON JOB” and insisted he has been “totally exonerated” . “I have nothing to do with Jeffrey Epstein,” he told reporters on Air Force One recently .
However, the historical record is difficult to erase. Beyond the 2003 birthday message, Trump was known to have socialized with Epstein over a period of 15 years, with Epstein once referring to Trump as his “closest friend” .
The Obama Connection
Interestingly, the UFO announcement was also a way for Trump to one-up a political rival. The sudden focus on aliens was partially triggered by former President Barack Obama, who recently stated in a podcast that aliens are “real” (though he quickly clarified he meant statistically in the universe, not that they had visited Earth) .
Trump seized on this, accusing Obama of revealing “classified information” . By promising to declassify the files himself, Trump positioned himself as the transparency candidate on the issue—effectively changing the channel from a scandal involving his own past to a debate about whether Obama spilled state secrets about space people.
Conclusion
Whether or not the Trump administration actually releases groundbreaking UFO footage remains to be seen. But the political theater is unmistakable. As Seth Meyers noted in his original bit, the attempts at distraction are “transparent gimmicks.”
In the end, the public is left with a clear choice of what to focus on: the possibility of life on other planets, or the unanswered questions regarding a sex trafficking ring here on Earth. Given the government’s history of over-promising and under-delivering on UFO transparency, it seems likely that the Epstein files—and the pressure to release them fully—aren’t going to be abducted from the headlines anytime soon.
It was on the July 24 episode of Late Night that Meyers articulated what many were thinking. After watching the administration’s clunky attempts to change the subject, Meyers deadpanned: “Whatever is in those Epstein files must be really f—ing bad… They must be finding so many mentions of Trump, they’re going to have to change the name to ‘The Trump Files: featuring Jeffrey Epstein.'”
Then came the punchline that proved prophetic: “I honestly think we’re just one Epstein story away from Trump announcing that UFOs are real” .
Fast forward to February 19, 2026. With the Epstein controversy still simmering and public frustration growing over redacted documents, Trump took to Truth Social. He announced he would direct the “Secretary of War” (Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth) to begin releasing government files on “alien and extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), and unidentified flying objects (UFOs)” .
A Pattern of Misdirection
The optics of the announcement were hard to ignore. It came just days after a Congressman was granted access to secretive UFO facilities like Area 51, and amid a news cycle heavily focused on the lack of transparency regarding the Epstein case .
Critics and internet users were quick to connect the dots. Following the Truth Social post, social media platform X (formerly Twitter) lit up with skepticism. “Classic misdirection,” one user commented, while another asked pointedly, “Why release these now? to distract from the Eppy files?” . The sentiment was echoed by pundits who noted that while the government has released UFO information before, it has never yielded proof of aliens—making this a safe, headline-grabbing promise that likely won’t produce tangible results .
The Epstein Problem Won’t Go Away
The pressure on Trump regarding Epstein is multifaceted and persistent. While the White House has released tranches of documents, critics argue the releases are incomplete. Congress passed a law in November mandating the release of all materials, yet the Justice Department has still redacted significant portions . This has led to a trust deficit, even among Trump’s base. A Fox News poll indicated that 60% of Republican voters believe the government is withholding critical information about the case .
Trump has attempted to kill the story by labeling it a political hit job. He recently called the renewed scrutiny a “Democrat CON JOB” and insisted he has been “totally exonerated” . “I have nothing to do with Jeffrey Epstein,” he told reporters on Air Force One recently .
However, the historical record is difficult to erase. Beyond the 2003 birthday message, Trump was known to have socialized with Epstein over a period of 15 years, with Epstein once referring to Trump as his “closest friend” .
The Obama Connection
Interestingly, the UFO announcement was also a way for Trump to one-up a political rival. The sudden focus on aliens was partially triggered by former President Barack Obama, who recently stated in a podcast that aliens are “real” (though he quickly clarified he meant statistically in the universe, not that they had visited Earth) .
Trump seized on this, accusing Obama of revealing “classified information” . By promising to declassify the files himself, Trump positioned himself as the transparency candidate on the issue—effectively changing the channel from a scandal involving his own past to a debate about whether Obama spilled state secrets about space people.
Conclusion
Whether or not the Trump administration actually releases groundbreaking UFO footage remains to be seen. But the political theater is unmistakable. As Seth Meyers noted in his original bit, the attempts at distraction are “transparent gimmicks.”
In the end, the public is left with a clear choice of what to focus on: the possibility of life on other planets, or the unanswered questions regarding a sex trafficking ring here on Earth. Given the government’s history of over-promising and under-delivering on UFO transparency, it seems likely that the Epstein files—and the pressure to release them fully—aren’t going to be abducted from the headlines anytime soon.