'Infuriated' Dr. Phil McGraw Claims There's Been a 'Massive Cover-Up' in UFO Files: 'How Dare They'

Dr. Phil McGraw is sounding the alarm over what he claims is a "massive cover-up" surrounding the government's UFO files.

The television personality says he was brought in to review classified information under the Trump administration and was left "infuriated" by what he discovered, questioning why officials would keep Americans — and even President Donald Trump — in the dark.

During his July 21 appearance on NewsNation's "Reality Check" podcast with Ross Coulthart, McGraw said the White House invited him to review the latest tranche of UFO files before they were released to the public. He explained that officials wanted his perspective on how Americans might react to potentially learning that humans are "somewhere different in the food chain" of the universe.

McGraw, who is also affiliated with the Trump administration's religious liberty committee, said he was brought in because of his ability to speak to the potential psychological impact of UFO disclosure.

"I have maintained independence in what I'm doing. They're not scripting me. They're not telling me what to say and not say," he said during the interview.

But after reviewing the files, McGraw claimed he became convinced there had been a significant government cover-up surrounding UFO sightings. He also alleged that government officials have treated Trump like a "temp employee" by withholding information from the president.

"That infuriates me," McGraw declared. "How dare they do that? I don't think that's right and I think we deserve better."

He later described the alleged cover-up as "massive," saying there was "no question" in his mind that Americans had not been given the full story.

While McGraw believes the public can handle potentially shocking revelations about UFOs, he said the government needs to be prepared for the reaction.

The TV personality warned that learning more about unexplained phenomena could have psychological and spiritual consequences for some people. He also expressed concern that revelations could fuel doomsday fears and give scammers an opportunity to take advantage of frightened Americans.

"I think it needs to be provided with context and I think that the American public is prepared to handle that," he continued. "I think we as a government need to be prepared to help those that have a difficult time with it."

Under the Trump administration, the government has released four tranches of materials concerning unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP), the official term for UFOs. The files include records from agencies such as the Pentagon, NASA and the CIA and detail years of reported incidents.

One recently released report describes a 2025 encounter in which a military sensor tracked an area of contrast resembling a six-pointed star over the Yellow Sea near China. However, some of the information had already been made public, leading UFO researchers to question how much new information the releases actually contained.

Donald R. Schmitt, a researcher at the International U.F.O. Museum and Research Center in Roswell, N.M., previously criticized the releases in The New York Times, saying they were "the same game that they have played all these years."

The Trump administration has faced similar criticism over its handling of other sensitive records, including files related to John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr. and Jeffrey Epstein.

McGraw's claims add to the growing debate over how much the government is willing to reveal — and whether Americans are finally getting the full story.