The Push for UFO Disclosure Intensifies as Pressure Mounts on Donald Trump
Written by Christopher Sharp - 19 August 2026
A growing number of advocates are pressing President Trump to reveal what they believe is evidence of advanced non‑human intelligence and its technologies interacting with humanity, an effort that has accelerated in recent days.
The push follows new remarks from Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) whistleblower and former U.S. Air Force intelligence officer David Grusch, who appeared last week on the Dr Phil podcast, urging the Trump administration to take decisive action on the UAP issue.
Grusch’s comments come as Stephen Miller, one of Trump’s closest and longest‑serving advisers, has reportedly been asked by the President to examine the UAP portfolio.
Miller, a central architect of Trump‑era policy and a dominant voice within his political operation, is now seen by disclosure advocates as a key figure in determining how the administration approaches the subject.
During the interview with Dr Phil - a friend of President Trump - Grusch said, “I hope President Trump delivers on his promise – I think this is going to be the singular thing which is going to define his legacy.”
He went on to argue that the responsibility now rests with Trump’s inner circle, adding, “Mr Miller and the President’s team need to realise this is going to be the defining moment of his legacy, because even if Trump doesn’t disclose, the genie is out of the bottle now and we’re going to look back on ‘what did the President know and why didn’t he get the information out?’”
Since 14 August, documentary filmmaker James Fox has released a series of four videos featuring different UAP whistleblowers - including David Grusch - urging President Trump to take action on the issue.
Their appeals focus on the declassification of UAP‑related material - including photographs and documentation of retrieved craft and alleged non‑human bodies - and on securing immunity and protection for individuals who could face repercussions for violating Non‑Disclosure Agreements to share what they know.
The additional whistleblowers appearing in Fox’s videos include Dylan Borland, a former Air Force geospatial intelligence specialist; Matthew Brown, a former Department of War official; and Dr Eric Davis, an aerospace engineer known for his work on advanced propulsion concepts.
Grusch, in his appeal to President Trump, said he is prepared to “provide a full historical accounting to the National Security Council principals, the White House Chief of Staff and make any supporting public statements that are authorised to help this administration move disclosure forward.”
He added that he is ready to assist the administration in identifying the records, programs and personnel involved in classified UAP activities, and in bringing “any improperly concealed activities back under lawful presidential and congressional oversight.”
He concluded his message with a direct call to action: “Mr President, give us the authorisation, and we’re ready to go.”
Another disclosure effort is emerging from billionaire and Trump donor Robert Bigelow, whose interest in UAPs spans several decades. Two weeks ago, Bigelow said that in February he advised President Trump on how he might address the nation regarding the issue.
“I was emphasizing that the disclosure process, starting with confirmation, is a big deal. That, you know, it really is important for somebody like the President of the United States to say, ‘yeah, they’re real, they’re here. And eliminate all the other nonsense, all the noise that’s been going on for 80 years,’” Bigelow said.
Describing the guidance he offered, Bigelow stated:
“This, this is what I want you to say, Mr President: ‘A non-human, intelligent presence has been on Earth for a very long time, using spacecraft and with performances completely beyond our capabilities and our human physics.’ And that’s it, to say nothing else. That’s it, that’s all. Because what this is, is disclosure. And it’s actually confirmation.”
Bigelow has recently launched a new podcast series with veteran investigative journalist George Knapp, and in the latest episode he appeared to take a more cautious stance on disclosure than Grusch, emphasising the need to protect secrecy.
In yesterday’s podcast episode, discussing the private‑sector gatekeepers allegedly involved in reverse‑engineering programs related to non‑human technology, Bigelow said:
“The companies need more money. They need more scientists involved, but they have to maintain their secrecy at all costs because we are in competition with China and Russia on the exact same thing [non-human technology], and they don't have the concerns about secrecy that we do.”
Outlining his view of how disclosure should unfold, Bigelow added:
“It needs to be a process, a step-by-step, partial process delivery. It needs to be truthful, and we need to engage, find ways to engage one of the most important assets that this country has - it’s the gatekeepers- and do it in a way that is really a great new era of partnership that has never existed for 80 years.”
Liberation Times understands that advocates are attempting to persuade President Trump to deliver some form of disclosure speech before the midterm elections on 3 November 2026.
Their goal is to prompt a public acknowledgement that some UAPs are of non-human origin.
Lue Elizondo, the former head of the Pentagon’s UAP program AATIP, is also widely believed to be in a position to work with the Trump administration and help guide a potential disclosure effort.
Sources also tell Liberation Times that the U.S. government - including its UAP office, the All‑domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) - is aware of data indicating extreme‑performance incidents.
These reportedly include objects traversing the Atlantic Ocean from end to end in three seconds, as well as similar episodes of rapid acceleration observed in the vicinity of Japan.
Another source told Liberation Times that the CIA’s chief scientist acts as an operational gatekeeper for programs involving the retrieval and reverse-engineering of vehicles allegedly of non-human origin within the Agency’s Directorate of Science and Technology. According to the source, the CIA’s deputy director within the Science and Technology directorate serves as the administrative gatekeeper for those programs.
Betty Sapp, former Director of the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), has been described by Liberation Times sources as another key gatekeeper. According to those sources, Sapp worked with former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and his deputy Stephanie O’Sullivan on an Obama‑era program focused on locating UAP, recovering them, and attempting to reverse‑engineer their technology.
In his autobiography - ‘Facts and Fears’ - Clapper highlighted Sapp and O’Sullivan as women who consistently outperformed their male colleagues.
Sapp had previously worked with Clapper in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence or USD(I), and he later helped advance her career by supporting her appointment as the NRO’s deputy director in April 2009.
Clapper writes, ‘when the NRO director retired in April, we moved Betty Sapp, my USD(I) deputy for portfolio, programs, and resources, to NRO as the principal deputy director.’
Since appearing in the UAP documentary Age of Disclosure, Liberation Times understands that Clapper has stepped back from efforts to promote UAP transparency. One source told Liberation Times that he has grown uncomfortable with the recent surge of attention.
Some sources told Liberation Times they fear that whistleblowers could face retaliation if the UAP issue slips from the political agenda.
Whether President Trump is prepared to disclose any information related to UAPs remains unclear, with sources offering differing accounts of his level of interest and of how the White House is currently approaching the issue.
