Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is better known for his stance on universal healthcare and the environment than his thoughts on extraterrestrial life. But this week, he answered the question every Area 51 enthusiast wants to know.
That being: if elected, would he release any secretive government files pertaining to the existence of celestial beings.
Joe Rogan of The Joe Rogan Experience Podcast asked Sanders: "If you got into the office and you found out something about aliens – if you found out something about UFOs – would you let us know?"
Sanders replied that his wife would demand it. When pushed a little further, he promised to do a reveal all on the podcast if he ever gained access to any juicy information.
"Alright, we’ll announce it on the show. How’s that?" he said.
Rogan's question is not quite as random as it first seems. Unless you've been living under a rock for the past month, you've no doubt heard of the proposal to storm Area 51 to "see them aliens", an event planned for September 2019.
Why Area 51? The military base has attracted the interest of UFO conspiracy theorists for decades, gaining fame after the 1947 Roswell crash when "a flying saucer" was believed to have collided into a sheep pasture not far from Roswell Army Air Force Base (RAAF).
Material from the crash site was taken to the base for analysis and later used to develop new aircraft technology for the US airforce – or so the conspiracy goes. But while there was a conspiracy of sorts, it had more to do with the US military and the Cold War than it did little green men.
Unsurprisingly, the military is none too pleased about this development and has advised people to avoid the event (if it is still on, that is).
But believe it or not, Sanders isn't the first presidential hopeful who has said they'd make it known to the public if the federal government had any intel on alien life forms.
In March 2016, Hillary Clinton appeared on Jimmy Kimmel where she promised to open government files on Area 51 and other documents if she were elected president (and they did not provide a threat to national security, of course).
Trump, however, seems less enthused on the subject of aliens and UFOs. When George Stephanopoulos asked him for his thoughts he responded with "People are saying they’re seeing UFOs. Do I believe it? Not particularly."
Now, we want to know, where do all the other candidates stand on the issue?
[H/T: Vice]
