Trump says NJ drones were 'authorized' after suggesting Biden kept public 'in suspense'
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the mystery drones flown across New Jersey in late 2024 were "authorized to be flown by the FAA" in the first press briefing of President Donald Trump's second administration.
"I do have news directly from the president of the United States that was just shared with me in the Oval Office, from President Trump directly, an update on the New Jersey drones," Leavitt said.
"After research and study, the drones that were flying over New Jersey in large numbers were authorized to be flown by the FAA for research and various other reasons. Many of these drones were also hobbyists, recreational and private individuals that enjoy flying drones," she added. "In time, it got worse due to curiosity. This was not the enemy."
In December, Trump suggested the Biden administration knew more than it was revealing to the public about the drones, which were spotted throughout the East Coast, though Leavitt did not say whether the drones spotted outside New Jersey were all lawful.
"They know where it came from and where it went," Trump said. "And for some reason, they don't want to comment. And 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."
Ahead of his inauguration, Trump vowed to give a report on drones "about one day" into his administration while speaking with Republican governors at Mar-a-Lago on Jan. 9 "because I think it’s ridiculous that they are not telling you about what’s going on with the drones."
However, the Biden administration had on Dec. 16 said in a multiagency statement from the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, the FAA and the Department of Defense that though there were indeed drones flying over New Jersey, they constituted a "combination" of lawful aerial activity.
"Having closely examined the technical data and tips from concerned citizens, we assess that the sightings to date include a combination of lawful commercial drones, hobbyist drones, and law enforcement drones, as well as manned fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and stars mistakenly reported as drones," the joint statement said.
The drone activity, which was first reported on Nov. 19 by the Morris County Prosecutor's Office, caused temporary flight restrictions in New Jersey throughout November and December, notably in Bedminster, New Jersey, where the president has a golf club, and over the Picatinny Arsenal military base. But on Dec. 19, a DHS spokesperson said in a statement that the flight restrictions were "out of an abundance of caution."
"We continue to assess there is no public safety threat relating to the reported drone sightings," the spokesperson said. "In coordination with the FAA and our critical infrastructure partners who requested temporary flight restrictions over their facilities, out of an abundance of caution, the FAA has issued temporary flight restrictions over some critical infrastructure facilities in New Jersey."
