Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard on Wednesday questioned the “official” narrative that mysterious flying objects spotted in the Northeast skies were drones.
The objects Gabbard referenced in the New York Post’s Pod Force One podcast were initially reported by New Jersey residents last November. The sightings continued for months, with lawmakers calling for federal investigations and holding a congressional hearing after the objects were spotted over sensitive sites, including major regional bridges, military installations, and President Donald Trump’s Bedminster golf resort.
This week, Gabbard questioned the government’s narrative around the incidents after both the Biden and Trump administrations concluded that they did not pose a threat.
“I still have a lot of questions around that,” she told podcast host Miranda Devine. “You know, I’ve heard what the public official line is. I just personally still have a lot of questions that are unanswered. Because it wasn’t just New Jersey, it was happening in different parts of the country.”
When further pressed on whether “there could be aliens,” Gabbard declined to dismiss the possibilities of UFOs and extraterrestrial objects.
“I honestly like my personal belief — I have my own views and opinions. In this role, I got to be careful with what I share,” she said. “And I’m laughing — my husband’s laughing in the corner because he, we have these same conversations, and obviously I don’t share any classified information, outside of my building with those who have clearances … [But] there are a lot of questions, and there’s a lot that’s been put out there, and there’s, you know, I’m still going through and looking through what, what do we know, and what is it that we don’t know?”
“We’re continuing to look for the truth and share that truth with the American people,” Gabbard concluded.
The reports of drone-like sightings are not limited to the incidents that sparked speculation in New Jersey in November 2024. Residents have been reporting comparable activity, often near military bases, over a much longer period. However, widespread speculation over the drone-like, unmanned aerial aircraft last fall catapulted the matter to the public stage, leading the Biden administration, then in power in Washington, to dismiss the idea that the objects could pose a threat. Still, some lawmakers raised concerns that something “fishy” was going on after more than 20 officials from the FBI and the Departments of Justice, Homeland Security, and Defense testified the incidents posed no threats during a congressional hearing on the matter last December.
After Trump was reelected last November, he accused officials of hiding what was going on, saying in January he thinks “it’s ridiculous that they’re not telling you about what’s going on with the drones.” Shortly thereafter, he ordered White House chief of staff Susie Wiles to “find out immediately” what the incidents were about.
“I can’t imagine it’s an enemy, or there would have been, you know, people would have gotten blown up, all of them,” the president said at the time. “Maybe they were testing things. I don’t know why. They wouldn’t have said what it was. They had a lot of them flying over Bedminster, which is interesting.”
A day later, the White House released a statement to dismiss the concerns.
“After research and study, the drones that were flying over New Jersey in large numbers were authorized to be flown by the [Federal Aviation Administration] for research and various other reasons,” it read.” Many of these drones were also hobbyists, recreational and private individuals that enjoy flying drones. And in time, it got worse due to curiosity. This was not the enemy.”
The readout from the Trump White House came after months of governors, state, and local officials expressing concern about the origin of unmanned aerial aircraft flying near sensitive areas.
UFO REPORTING IS CAUGHT BETWEEN EXCESS SENSATIONALISM AND EXCESS SKEPTICISM
While the sightings have often fueled speculation, including from Gabbard, that UFOs could exist, some critics argue that the U.S. government purposely spread that rumor for decades to help it hide top-secret programs from the public and foreign enemies.
A Wall Street Journal report published earlier this summer alleged that the government has systematically created disinformation for years to camouflage advanced weapons development through creating UFO lore of alien encounters. The U.S. military deliberately spread UFO rumors, including staged photos and false briefings, to protect classified weapons programs, according to the investigative report. The report pointed to an Air Force colonel who distributed fake photos of flying saucers to a bar owner near Nevada’s top-secret Area 51 base. The colonel later told investigators that he acted under orders to deflect attention away from the then-classified F-117 Nighthawk stealth fighter.