President-elect Donald Trump said on Monday that the federal government “knows what is happening” with respect to the mysterious drones seen flying over the East Coast in recent days.
Trump asserted during a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida that “our military knows where they took off from,” noting the capacity of the armed forces to neutralize any emergent threats from the drones with precision if they desired.
“If it’s a garage, they can go right into that garage,” Trump said. “They know where it came from and where it went, and for some reason they don’t want to comment.”
TRUMP COMMENTS ON DRONES: “The government knows what is happening. Look, our military knows where they took off from. If it’s a garage they can go right into that garage. They know where it came from and where it went. For some reason they don’t want to comment.” pic.twitter.com/VtVa3wqvqf
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) December 16, 2024
The president-elect suggested that the federal government should instead be transparent with the people: “I think they’d be better off saying what it is.”
“Our military knows, and our president knows, and for some reason they want to keep people in suspense,” he continued. “I can’t imagine it’s the enemy because if it was the enemy, they’d blast it out. Even if they were late, they’d blast it.”
When one reporter asked Trump if he received an intelligence briefing about the drones, the incoming commander-in-chief responded that he did not “want to comment on that.”
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The drones were first noticed in New Jersey but have since been seen elsewhere along the East Coast.
Among the locations where they have been spotted include the golf course owned by Trump in Bedminster, New Jersey, a development which prompted a reaction from him at the press conference.
“They’re very close to Bedminster,” Trump told reporters. “I think maybe I won’t spend the weekend in Bedminster.”
Beyond the assurances offered by Trump about the aerial phenomena, one viral video recorded by the chief executive of a company specializing in military-grade aircraft posits that the devices are searching for radioactive material or a gas leak close to the ground.
Podcast host Joe Rogan shared the video with a note of apprehension. “This is the first video about these drones that has got me genuinely concerned,” Rogan posted Sunday on X.
The White House meanwhile said at a briefing on Thursday that “many of the reported sightings are actually manned aircraft that are being operated lawfully.”
“Using very sophisticated electronic detection technologies provided by federal authorities, we have not been able to — and neither have state or local law enforcement authorities — corroborate any of the reported visual sightings,” White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby contended to the public.
FBI and Department of Homeland Security officials said they likewise have “no evidence at this time that the reported drone sightings pose a national security or public safety threat or have a foreign nexus.”
“Historically, we have experienced cases of mistaken identity, where reported drones are, in fact, manned aircraft or facilities,” they said in a joint statement released last week.
“We are supporting local law enforcement in New Jersey with numerous detection methods but have not corroborated any of the reported visual sightings with electronic detection,” the agencies said. “To the contrary, upon review of available imagery, it appears that many of the reported sightings are actually manned aircraft, operating lawfully.”
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