Patriot Brief

  • What Happened: Former President Barack Obama said "they are real, but I haven't seen them" when asked about extraterrestrials on a podcast, sparking viral headlines about aliens.
  • Why It Matters: Hours after the podcast dropped, Obama posted on Instagram clarifying he saw no evidence of alien contact during his presidency and blamed the speed of questions.
  • Bottom Line: Obama walked back his comments, saying the universe is vast so life probably exists but the chances we have been visited by aliens are low.

Barack Obama just admitted aliens are real on a podcast, went viral, and then immediately backtracked on Instagram.

During a rapid-fire question and answer segment with left-leaning commentator Brian Tyler Cohen, Obama was asked if he believes extraterrestrials are real. His answer? "They are real, but I haven't seen them."

He also said aliens are not being kept at Area 51. "There is no underground facility unless there's this enormous conspiracy and they hid it from the President of the United States," Obama said.

The clip went viral. Global media outlets picked up his comments as an apparent admission that aliens exist. It added fuel to the long-standing conspiracy theory that extraterrestrials are being held at the highly classified Air Force site in Nevada known as Area 51.

Then Obama panicked. Hours after the podcast was released, the former president took to Instagram to walk back his comments. He blamed the speed of the questions and clarified that the viral clip did not capture his actual assessment.

"Statistically, the universe is so vast that the odds are good there's life out there," Obama wrote. "But the distances between solar systems are so great that the chances we've been visited by aliens are low. And I saw no evidence during my presidency that extraterrestrials have made contact with us. Really!"

Really. He actually added "Really!" at the end like that makes it more believable.

So let me get this straight. Obama said aliens are real on a podcast. The internet exploded. Then he rushed to Instagram to clarify that while aliens probably exist somewhere in the universe, they have not made contact with Earth and he saw no evidence of it during his presidency.

This is classic Obama. Say something vague and provocative, watch it go viral, then backtrack with a carefully worded clarification that says nothing while sounding intellectual.

Area 51 has been the center of alien conspiracy theories for decades. In 2019, 1.5 million people signed up to storm the facility. Only about 150 social media influencers actually showed up, and the event ended in a few arrests and a music festival.

Obama's comments and immediate walkback are not going to settle anything. If anything, they will just fuel more speculation about what he really knows.