Australian journalist Ross Coulthart claimed on X that US President Donald Trump is “indeed now briefed on the legacy UAP crash retrieval program.” But what followed on social media was a big debate on when and how this happened.
There has been muted speculation recently, as the UFO community recalibrates, following the May 8th release of previously prohibited UFO evidence.
Rumors abound that the president has known more for longer than he has been letting on, especially last December when whistleblower David Grusch said the president may have been briefed during his first term.
Have thoughts about this topic? Others do, too. Join them in the discussion.
Now journalist Ross Coulthart, on X, framed the alleged briefing as the culmination of pressure from the likes of Marco Rubio, Anna Paulina Luna, Eric Burlison, and Tim Burchett, who have all been important figures regarding the disclosure of the files.
Coulthart wrote: “The big Q is what POTUS (the president of the United States) will tell the American public now he knows what's happening.”
I am told @POTUS is indeed now briefed on the legacy UAP crash retrieval program. The President, @marcorubio, @RepLuna, @RepEricBurlison & @timburchett have pushed hard for the answers that other Presidents failed to get. The big Q is what POTUS will tell the American public now… https://t.co/70m9BwsXay
undefined Ross Coulthart (@rosscoulthart) May 18, 2026
How the events unfolded
In late 2020, as Trump was approaching the end of his first term, Dr. Eric Davis, a physicist who served as science advisor to the UAPTF, allegedly briefed President Trump on UAPs, but excluded all legacy crash-retrieval programs.
Meanwhile, Grusch, the whistleblower, has publicly stated that Trump was allegedly briefed on the full crash-retrieval program, effectively throwing a spanner in the works and questioning the transparency of top officials.
On May 16th, Davis pushed back, accusing Grusch of misspeaking. Davis wrote:
I think that Dave G. misspoke when he said that Trump got briefed when he really should've said that Trump got the UAP Task Force's briefing that didn't include the legacy crash-retrieval programs
Davis argues that the alleged legacy program was hidden through “financial fraud” and concealment from the executive branch, so it does not add up that Trump would be briefed if the Pentagon’s alleged UFO program was so deeply shrouded in secrecy.
UFO community split over credibility
Skeptics on Reddit and X questioned why no concrete evidence ever accompanies these claims.
For example, Reddit user u/bhmnscmm wrote: “Who is Coulthart's source? What specifically was Trump briefed on? Some actual details and real journalism would be nice.”
Comment
by u/Severe-Clerk-1477 from discussion
in UFOs
Meanwhile, commenter u/Running_Gamer argued: “This would literally be the biggest story in human history if true.”
Reddit user u/PixelAstro called Coulthart “one of the most gullible, naive reporters to ever cover UFOs.”
And others think Coulthart may be a part of a psyop (psychological operation) in that the government controls the narrative surrounding UFOs. One comment asserted, “never trusted Coulthart anyway,” while another one stated, “Russ is being strung along and used.”
The onus now is on President Trump once more, and what comes next following the intense scrutiny of the Pentagon’s legacy program. We’ll probably never know when he was briefed, and, as ever, it turns into one voice against another, all over again.
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