As the UFO disclosure movement makes steady progress, Congressman Tim Burchett has revealed that he had a conversation with President Donald Trump about releasing classified UFO files.

During a recent interview on the popular podcast The Resilient Show, Burchett said that Trump asked him directly if UFOs were real, to which he replied, “Something’s going on, Mr. President. We’re spending billions of dollars on something.”

One might assume that the US government is well-aware of where its money goes. Still, in the increasingly myriad unknowns of legislative processes, coupled with decades of UFO mythologizing, it could well be that there isn’t merely one big dossier to hand over to the president.

Burchett, a Republican representative from Tennessee, added that he urged Trump to release information he may have seen in classified briefings, remarking, “I don’t think he’ll [Trump] know what to ask for.”

Burchett rounded off by emphasizing that those close to the president are trying to encourage him to ask the right questions about unidentified aerial phenomena.

The clip quickly circulated online and reached UFO discussion communities, and in the large UFO forum on Reddit, the exchange triggered a wave of debate and skepticism.

President Trump asked Rep. Burchett if he thinks UFOs are real

“He said, ‘Do you think they’re real?’ I said, ‘Something’s going on Mr. President. We’re spending billions of dollars on something.’”

Burchett says he asked Trump to release what he’s seen in classified briefings.… pic.twitter.com/ikEB8yQNQp

undefined UAP James (@UAPJames) March 9, 2026

Quick chat, little knowledge

Many commenters interpreted the exchange as evidence that top officials may not actually know much about UFOs.

Reddit user peternn2412 quizzed: “Why do we need to be informed about a conversation between two people who know nothing, in which they admit they know nothing?”

Another user, Leviastin, expressed similar skepticism, writing: “The idea that Obama or Trump has been briefed on anything is laughable at this point.”

It appears that chasing the carrot of UFO disclosure is no longer a priority for a large segment of the community, with many tired of playing the waiting game.

“Enough talking! Until something actually happens, all of these conversations are just making these respected people in the disclosure scene look like they are crying wolf,” exclaimed @chloro_phyll.

Progress in motion, or growing frustration?

In contrast, Redditor kimsemi explained that this is the nature of the beast when it comes to government cogs turning.

“Burchett is 100% right. Knowing what to ask for,” they said, adding, “if he asks the wrong question, he gets the wrong answer.”

Complex government structures may prevent politicians from accessing sensitive UFO programs, which feeds into the speculative talking heads debate that the community has been having lately. The idea here is that each seemingly progressive step might in fact just be breadcrumbing the public, with no real progress actually being made.

That's how the government works, and how the deep state keeps politicians out of their business,

explained Redditor @kimsemi.

Classified UFO-related programs could remain hidden inside specialized military or intelligence structures, as was the case with Immaculate Constellation, the Pentagon's secret alien disclosure program that whistleblower Matthew Brown helped unearth.

Still, the main takeaway from all of this was a sense of skepticism and impatience.

Reddit user Kardashev_One wrote: “These guys are just saying stuff for easy political points,” while another said, “I predict it's going to take another century before the public is informed of everything.”