President Biden on Tuesday said that there is no sense of danger so far from the drones that have been spotted in the Northeast, noting that officials are looking into them.
“Nothing nefarious apparently, but they’re checking it all out,” Biden told reporters about the drones.
He added, “We’re following this closely, but so far, no sense of danger.”
White House national security communications adviser John Kirby said on Monday that the drones are not a national security or public safety risk and called on reporters to remind Americans that there are more than 1 million legal drones in the country.
Biden also highlighted the number of drones legally flying.
“There’s a lot of drones authorized up there,” the president said. “I think one started it and they all – everybody wanted to get in the deal.”
President-elect Trump in a press conference on Monday questioned why officials have not been more forthcoming about the situation, suggesting that the Biden administration knows what is happening. He also said that the drones were not the work of a hostile adversary.
Meanwhile, Democrats are divided about how the White House has handled talking about the drones, with some defending the executive assurances that there’s no threat to public safety and others bashing the various agencies for not providing proof to back those claims.
There has been a flurry of drone sightings in New Jersey, rattling residents and causing local FBI and New Jersey authorities to ask the public to report any information about the recent sightings of possible drones.
