Trump promises answers on mystery drone sightings as expert makes bizarre prediction

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An influx of unexplained drone sightings in parts of the United States began making headlines in November, and although officials have said there is no evidence that drones threaten national security or public safety, experts explain the mystery behind the rise in sightings.

Fox News' Peter Doocy asked President Donald Trump about drones on Monday, asking: “Everything with these drones, is there any concern?”

“I would like to find out what it is and tell people. Actually, I would like to do that,” Trump responded. He then redirected to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. “Could we find out what it was, Susie? Why don't we find out immediately?”

“I can't imagine it's an enemy, or there would have been, you know, people would have been blown up, all of them. Maybe they were testing things. I don't know why. They wouldn't have “I didn't say what it was,” Trump said. “They had a lot of them flying over Bedminster, which is interesting,” referring to his New Jersey club.

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Photos taken in the bay shore section of Toms River Township, New Jersey, of what appear to be large drones hovering in the high altitude region on Sunday, December 8, 2024. The drones appeared well above the level of 400 feet which FAA regulations allow. (Doug Hood/Asbury Park Press)

Drone sightings in November and December initially raised public concerns and even attracted the attention of the FBI.

“The FBI Newark, the NJ State Police, and the NJ Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness are asking the public to report any information related to recent possible drone sightings in several areas along the Raritan River,” a statement of December 3 from the FBI noted.

The Federal Aviation Administration even issued temporary flight restrictions after the large number of sightings, banning drone flights over parts of New Jersey.

“It had clearly taken a dark turn where people were very concerned about what might be in the skies above their homes or overhead,” said Dr. Will Austin, a national drone expert and Warren County Community College President, Fox News Digital.

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President Donald Trump signs executive orders in the Oval Office on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

However, an FBI official later said that of the approximately 5,000 tips they received regarding reported drone sightings, “fewer than 100 leads were generated and deemed worthy of further investigative activity.” .

In mid-December, a DHS official said he was “confident that many reported drone sightings are, in fact, manned aircraft misidentified as drones,” ABC News reported.

A White House analysis, in coordination with the FBI and state and local authorities, concluded that “the White House's legal, legal, legal, law enforcement aircraft activity, John Kirby, the former White House national security adviser, was responsible for the sightings, telling Fox News.

“A lot of people have kind of learned in recent months Droneshield, a global provider of counter-drone defense solutions, told Fox News Digital.

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Photos taken in the bay shore section of Toms River Township, New Jersey, of what appear to be large drones hovering in the high altitude region on Sunday, December 8, 2024. The drones appeared well above the level of 400 feet which FAA regulations allow. (Doug Hood/Asbury Park Press)

When word of the drone sightings quickly spread on social media and major media outlets, Adams said he witnessed “confirmation bias” in relation to the large number of sightings.

“Some of my friends and relatives who are really into UAP phenomena… The unknown aerial phenomena… They really wanted it to be drones or aliens, because that fit their narrative,” he said .

Adams thinks one of the main reasons why so many erroneous observations have been made could be as simple as a lack of knowledge.

“I think some people just looked up to see what's in the airspace for the first time,” he said. “Drones are still new to many people, and so the rules and regulations for using drones in the United States are also unfamiliar to many people, because they haven't needed to learn that or experience this.”

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Adams explained that, especially at night, it's easy to mistake another plane in the sky for a drone.

“Many drones have white, red and green lights… Night planes have white, red and green lights other things in the sky, whether it's a celestial body or a satellite in low Earth orbit, they also have white lights,” he said. “During the day, when you look at a plane in the sky… You can also see other features that help you understand how deep or how far away you are… You don't have that perception of the depth at night.”

Austin attributed the misidentification of drones in dark skies to the “parallax effect,” explaining, “It's extraordinarily tricky at night…to identify aircraft, especially when you're not trained.” The reason people struggle is that there's really nothing against the night sky to give you perspective. “

Adams and Austin said they believe new public studies of drones are needed and can help reduce the number of erroneous sightings.

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Photos taken in the bay shore section of Toms River Township, New Jersey, of what appear to be large drones hovering in the high altitude region on Sunday, December 8, 2024. The drones appeared well above the level of 400 feet which FAA regulations allow. (Doug Hood/Asbury Park Press)

The government, according to President Trump, continues to investigate the first flood of drone sightings, Austin believes the public is about to see another major influx of sightings due to a change in drone firmware a major drone manufacturer.

“There has been a significant development,” Austin said, adding that DJI, a Chinese manufacturer for many U.S.-registered drones, this month changed restricted zones.

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“If you were flying a DJI drone…and you arrived at an airport….

“I predict you're going to see a lot of drone incursions…that's my biggest fear now.”

Expert predicts more drones will be reported in the air. (Jens Bttner/Picture Alliance via Getty Images)

DJI told Fox News Digital that it “remains committed to promoting safe and responsible flight practices. The recent GEO update aligns with principle put forward by aviation regulators around the world, including the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that operators are responsible for compliance with the rules.

Drone operators will now see official airspace data from the FAA on where they can and cannot fly, DJI added, and will receive in-app warnings if they fly near the space controlled aircraft designed by the FAA.

The company also said it voluntarily implemented geofencing in 2013 and noted that the FAA now has remote identification requirements that serve as the equivalent of a “license plate” for drones.

The FAA told Fox News Digital that its role is to ensure drones operate safely within the broader National Airspace System and does not require geofencing of drone manufacturers.

The agency noted that it is generally legal to fly a drone in most places, as long as it is flown within 400 feet, but there are rules including obtaining space clearance aerial, safety testing, maintaining the drone in sight, avoiding all other aircraft, not causing danger to any person or property and avoiding restricted airspace.

Ashley Carnahan of Fox News contributed to this report.

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