President Biden addressed the recent surge of drone sightings, which have sparked widespread concern and demands for answers from lawmakers and the public. Speaking at the White House on Tuesday, Biden assured that the sightings pose “no sense of danger.”
“Nothing nefarious apparently, but they’re checking it all out,” the 82-year-old president said when asked about the mysterious flights, adding, “We’re following this closely, but so far, no sense of danger.”
“There’s a lot of drones authorized up there,” Biden added. “I think one started it, and everybody wanted to get in the deal,” he said, hinting at a possible “copycat” theory behind the phenomenon.
Biden’s comments align with his administration’s earlier reassurances that the drones, so far, do not seem to be linked to anything alarming. A joint statement from the FBI, FAA, Pentagon, and Department of Homeland Security on Monday echoed this sentiment, explaining that the sightings appear to involve a mix of legitimate drone activity and manned aircraft.
“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 agencies said.
The first reports of mysterious drone activity originated in New Jersey on Nov. 18. Since then, the federal government has received more than 5,000 tips, with around 100 cases requiring further investigation.
Despite these official assurances, there has been mounting pressure from lawmakers for a more detailed explanation. Over the weekend, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy confirmed the deployment of drone-detecting devices in response to public concerns. New York Senator Chuck Schumer also called on federal agencies to utilize declassified radar technology to determine the source of the sightings.
President-elect Donald Trump, however, expressed skepticism over Biden’s handling of the situation, accusing the administration of withholding critical information about the drones.
“The government knows what is happening,” Trump said Monday. “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, and for some reason, they don’t want to comment,” he added.
Trump went on to suggest that transparency would be better for the public, adding, “Our military knows, and our president knows. And for some reason, they want to keep people in suspense.”
