As America desperately continues to try to find the cause behind thousands of unidentified drone sightings in New Jersey, the President-elect Donald Trump has thrown his suggestion into the ring.
Since mid-November panic has been rising about the sightings, and theories about their origins have been rife – from an “Iranian mothership” to “private sector tests.” The FBI had admitted it does not know where the drones are coming from, or whether they pose a risk to the public.
Trump has now ridiculed the former New Jersey governor Chris Christie, by sharing a meme suggesting his critic’s appetite is the reason behind the drone sightings on the east coast.
On Sunday, Trump posted on his platform ‘Truth Social’ what appears to be an AI-generated image of Christie eating food from McDonald's, surrounded by drones hovering behind him with more McDonald's takeaway bags.
Chris Christie became a vocal critic of Trump in 2017 after being kicked out of the then-President’s transition team, and both have a history of public disagreements. Both men ran for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, and throughout his campaign Trump mocked Christie’s weight, calling him a “fat-pig.”
ABOVE: Watch video on the unknown drones
While current New Jersey governor Phil Murphy stressed that the drones pose no public safety concerns, New Jersey assembly woman Dawn Fantasia disagreed according to the BBC, stating, “To state that there is no credible threat is incredibly misleading,” adding that the drones are up to 6ft (1.8m) in diameter, travel with their lights turned off, and “operate in a co-ordinated manner.”
White House national security communications advisor, John Kirby, agreed that federal and state authorities have found “no known malicious activity” related to the drones, and added, “Upon review of available imagery, it appears that many of the reported sightings are actually manned aircraft that are being operated lawfully.”
Despite this, Trump posted on Truth Social on Friday accusing President Biden of withholding information about the incidents. He wrote, “Mystery drone sightings all over the country. Can this really be happening without our government’s knowledge? I don’t think so! Let the public know, and now. Otherwise, shoot them down!!!”
It appears the drones have broken multiple drone laws in the US. These include flying drones at or below 400ft, avoiding ‘No Drone Zones’, drone registration and not using drones that weigh more than 55 pounds (25kg).
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