Former U.S. President Barack Obama said he did not see evidence that aliens “have made contact with us,” after sending social media abuzz by saying aliens were real on a podcast over the weekend.
During a lightning round of questions with podcast host Brian Tyler Cohen, Obama was asked, “Are aliens real?”
“They’re real,” he answered, continuing: “But I haven’t seen them. And, they’re not being kept in Area 51.”
On Sunday, the former president released a statement on Instagram, appearing to clarify what he meant by his comments that have since gone viral.
“I was trying to stick with the spirit of the speed round, but since it’s gotten attention let me clarify. Statistically, the universe is so vast that the odds are good there’s life out there. But the distances between solar systems are so great that the chances we’ve been visited by aliens is low, and I saw no evidence during my presidency that extraterrestrials have made contact with us. Really!”
Secrecy around Area 51, a top-secret Cold War test site in the Nevada desert, has long fueled conspiracy theories among UFO enthusiasts.
In 2013, the CIA acknowledged the existence of the site, but not UFO crashes, black-eyed extraterrestrials or staged moon landings.
Declassified documents referred to the 8,000-square-mile (20,700-square-kilometer) installation by name after decades of U.S. government officials refusing to acknowledge it.
The base has been a testing ground for a host of top-secret aircraft, including the U-2 in the 1950s and later the B-2 stealth bomber.
This story corrects the name of the podcaster.
Barack Obama talks to Julius Erving during the NBA All-Star basketball game Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
BORMIO, Italy (AP) — Atle Lie McGrath of Norway grabbed the first-run lead in the men's slalom Monday on a snowy and foggy day that saw Brazilian ski racer Lucas Pinheiro Braathen fall, ending his bid for another Olympic gold.
Pinheiro Braathen was cruising along with a fast time when his ski went out from under him. He slid down the mountain before getting back up. His Olympics ended with a “DNF" — did not finish.
Pinheiro Braathen made history by winning the giant slalom Saturday, becoming the first athlete from South America to win a medal at a Winter Olympics.
His former teammate and good friend, McGrath, finished in a time of 56.14 seconds and leads Loic Meillard of Switzerland by 0.59 seconds. Fabio Gstrein of Austria is third.
“Of course I’m conflicted. Oh man, this sport,” Pinheiro Braathen said. “It brings you up to the sky and it just slams you back into reality equally as fast. That’s exactly what makes it the art it is.”
The heavy snow led to a tricky morning of racing. The competition featured 96 racers in the field, with many representing nontraditional ski nations. Of the 96 racers, there were 49 who didn't finish the course, two who were disqualified and another who didn't start.
This is the final event of the men’s Alpine program at the Milan Cortina Games.
The 25-year-old Pinheiro Braathen grew up racing with McGrath in Norway and they were teammates on the national squad. Pinheiro Braathen switched to represent Brazil, his mom’s home country. The nation celebrated his gold medal, which just so happened to coincide with Carnival.
McGrath is racing at these Olympics with a heavy heart. His grandfather died on the day of the opening ceremony. He's wearing an armband as a tribute.
It was a ceremonial slalom run for AJ Ginnis of Greece. He said an ankle surgery didn't heal properly and he couldn't compete the way he wanted to. This was his farewell run.
“To be able to stand here today and just everything ski racing has given me in life, a college degree, security, and most importantly friends and people that will stay with me forever, it’s just something that you could have told that to a 10-year-old AJ and his parents and they would have never believed it,” Ginnis said.
Among the skiers in the field were Henri Rivers IV of Jamaica; Faiz Basha of Singapore and Lasse Gaxiola of Mexico. Gaxiola’s mom, Sarah Schleper, competed in the super-G and giant slalom in Cortina.
AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
Norway's Atle Lie McGrath speeds down the course, during an alpine ski, men's slalom race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Bormio, Italy, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Norway's Atle Lie McGrath speeds down the course, during an alpine ski, men's slalom race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Bormio, Italy, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)
Brazil's Lucas Pinheiro Braathen reacts after crashing during an alpine ski, men's slalom race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Bormio, Italy, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Brazil's Lucas Pinheiro Braathen reacts at the finish area of an alpine ski, men's slalom race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Bormio, Italy, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Norway's Atle Lie McGrath competes an alpine ski, men's slalom race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Bormio, Italy, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Brazil's Lucas Pinheiro Braathen reacts after crashing during an alpine ski, men's slalom race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Bormio, Italy, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
