President Donald Trump has revealed the mysterious drones over New Jersey were ‘not the enemy’ and had been authorized to conduct ‘research’.

In the initial press briefing of Trump’s second term, the White House Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt, mentioned that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had been given permission to use drones for purposes such as research and other activities.

Leavitt also pointed out that a significant number of the drones were operated by enthusiasts, hobbyists, and private individuals who simply enjoy flying drones, suggesting that the situation escalated due to growing curiosity.

She added information had come ‘directly from the president of the United States that was just shared with me in the Oval Office’.

However, Leavitt’s ambiguous statement has triggered more inquiries, particularly because the FAA, following reports from concerned citizens, did not previously disclose any information about the stated research when investigating the drone sightings.

The FAA last month attributed the sightings to ‘lawful commercial drones, hobbyist drones, law enforcement drones, manned fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and stars mistakenly reported as drones’.

The agency then issued a temporary ban on flying drones, but as the sightings continued, warned that ‘deadly force’ could be used against drones that present an ‘imminent security threat.’

Leavitt’s statements come months after the first drones appeared in November, soaring above military bases and Trump’s golf course in Bedminster and sparking fears of foreign threats watching American citizens. 

Leavitt assured the public that ‘this was not the enemy,’ but did not disclose who was using the drones or what type of research was being conducted.

‘After research and study, the drones that were flying over New Jersey in large numbers were authorized to be flown by the FAA for research and various other reasons,’ Leavitt said, reading Trump’s dictation at her first briefing.

‘Many of these drones were also hobbyists, recreational and private individuals that enjoy flying drones. In time, it got worse due to curiosity. This was not the enemy.’

The Biden administration said in December there was no evidence of anything nefarious with the sightings, after they were linked to Iran and China, but claimed it was unable to verify any of the thousands of reports of craft.

Tuesday’s announcement, while ambiguous, delivers on Trump’s promise before the election to disclose the source of the drones when he became president.

On his first day back in the Oval Office, Trump said he would start investigating the mysterious drone activity and put his chief of staff, Susie Wiles, on the case. 

‘I would like to find out what it is and tell the people. In fact, I’d like to do that,’ he said.

‘Could we find out what that was, Susie? Why don’t we find out immediately?’ 

Concern about unexplained UFOs began in mid-November when ‘car-sized’ drones were spotted in Morris County, which was followed by thousands of sightings from nearby areas.

The first video footage showed drones with green and red lights on their wings and multiple eyewitnesses described them as large as a small car. 

Officials held several congressional meetings in December to discuss the strange sightings, with the FBI first saying it received more than 3,000 reports in a week.

The FBI also admitted that it did not know who was behind the flying objects, while the US military insisted it is not responsible. 

The White House assured the American public that it was ‘closely’ monitoring the situation.

But Leavitt said the Trump administration researched and studied the events, finding they were authorized by the government. 

Michael Melham, the Mayor of Belleville, said on X, following Leavitt’s statements: ‘We were repeatedly told, ‘These are NOT Federal Operations’ and ‘Not our Government Assets’ and I kept saying that doesn’t mean the drones aren’t a defense contractor. 

‘The question remains, why are so many flying over such densely populated areas?’ 

Dozens of sightings surfaced from military bases in New Jersey, including Picatinny Arsenal and the Naval Weapons Station Earle, and others across the nation. 

Ohio’s Wright-Patterson Air Force Base closed its airspace due to similar activity on December 13 and five days later, the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth had its own swarm.

In White Settlement residents and police officers observed drones flying in formation about 100 feet in the air, sometimes hovering in groups of six.

Christopher Cook, police chief in White Settlement, said: ‘We haven’t seen the formation of drones like that before.’

However, Wednesday’s announcement only discussed the drones in New Jersey. 

On December 16, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Department of Defense (DoD) and the FAA released a joint statement on the matter.

‘Having closely examined the technical data and tips from concerned citizens, we assess that the sightings to date include a combination of lawful commercial drones, hobbyist drones, and law enforcement drones, as well as manned fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and stars mistakenly reported as drones,’ the statement read.

‘We have not identified anything anomalous and do not assess the activity to date to present a national security or public safety risk over the civilian airspace in New Jersey or other states in the northeast.’

But the sightings continued, forcing the FAA to put a temporary drone ban in 22 New Jersey towns on December 19 until January 17.

The temporary flight restriction (TFR) areas included parts of Camden, Gloucester City, Winslow Township, Evesham, Hancock’s Bridge in Lower Alloways Township in Salem County, Westampton, Burlington, and Hamilton in Mercer County. 

Flying drones was also banned in Bridgewater, Cedar Grove, North Brunswick, Metuchen, South Brunswick, Edison, Branchburg, Sewaren, Jersey City, Harrison, Elizabeth, Bayonne, Clifton, and Kearny. 

The FAA warned that ‘deadly force’ could be used against drones that present an ‘imminent security threat.’

However, Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-NY, said Sunday that the drones had returned during an unrelated press conference in New York.

‘We have now seen new drone sightings. We’re going to have to look into it,’ he said.