President Trump reacted for the first time to footage of UFOs recently released by the Pentagon.
The topic was broached during a White House interview with Reuters on Wednesday. Trump called the footage, which the Navy released on Monday, “a hell of a video” but questioned the veracity of the three clips.
“I just wonder if it’s real,” the president mused.
The three videos showed unidentified flying objects, which the government refers to as “unidentified aerial phenomena.” The footage, which was released through the Freedom of Information Act after previously being published by the New York Times, came from U.S. fighter jets that have encountered the strange flying objects over the years.
Two of the videos included audio, and pilots can be heard expressing excitement and confusion about the mysterious sightings. One video showed an object that a Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet had locked on to soaring through the air at high speeds and then rotating.
“Whoa, got it! Woohoo! What the f— is that thing?” a pilot could be heard saying as he locked on to the target. Another person responded, “Wow, what is that, man?”
Trump has previously expressed doubt about UFOs. In an interview with ABC last summer, he acknowledged the increasing number of reports about UFOs and said he even had a meeting about the topic.
“I think it’s probably — I want them to think whatever they think. They do say, and I’ve seen, and I’ve read, and I’ve heard. And I did have one very brief meeting on it. But people are saying they’re seeing UFOs. Do I believe it? Not particularly,” the president said.
After the videos were released, former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said the footage “only scratches the surface” of information the public should know. In 2007, Reid directed funding to the Defense Department’s $22 million Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program, which was assembled to look into the strange aerial phenomena. The program was reportedly shuttered in 2012.
“I’m glad the Pentagon is finally releasing this footage, but it only scratches the surface of research and materials available,” the Nevada Democrat tweeted. “The U.S. needs to take a serious, scientific look at this and any potential national security implications. The American people deserve to be informed.”
