President Donald Trump has issued a statement that he will instruct the federal government to begin releasing all of its files related to UFOs.

President Donald Trump said Thursday he will direct the Pentagon and other government agencies to identify and release files related to extraterrestrials and UFOs because of "tremendous interest."

Beliefs about extraterrestrials and suspicion of government secrecy run deep for some, and researchers tell Axios that conspiracy theories often signal entrenched political or social notions.