Washington: US President Donald Trump has said that Air Force pilots have shared unusual accounts of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) with him, describing encounters that he found difficult to explain.
In an interview with 60 Minutes correspondent Ross Douthat, Trump recalled meeting military pilots during both his first and second terms in the White House. He said the pilots were credible professionals and not conspiracy theorists, adding that some of their accounts were particularly unusual.
“I’m not too much of a believer, but I sat in the Oval Office, first term and a little bit second term, meeting with Air Force pilots who are really good, solid people,” Trump said.
“These are not people that you would say are conspiracy theorists. They don’t even know what it means. But they’re great, great pilots. Young, handsome. They have beautiful, nice flat tops. I’d like to have a haircut just like them. They look perfect, like Tom Cruise. … They’re thin, you know, very thin and very everything. And … they’re the real deal. And they’ve told me things that are very strange in certain cases.”
Trump said questions about unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP), the term used by the military for unexplained sightings, were among the most common queries he received.
Recounting one of the accounts shared by the pilots, he said: “They said, ‘Yes, there’s something going on out there…’ because they’re flying an F-22… and something goes by them at three times their speed, and it’s round…”
The remarks come amid renewed public interest in UFO sightings following the Trump administration’s move to release previously classified government records on unexplained aerial phenomena.
When Douthat asked Trump about claims by UFO whistleblowers that a secret government program existed to investigate such sightings, including information allegedly kept from presidents, Trump said he had no evidence of it.
“No. And I haven’t heard that. But if there is I’m gonna find out about it right after this interview,” he said.
The interview also comes amid the Trump administration’s efforts to make government records on unidentified anomalous phenomena publicly accessible.
Earlier this year, Trump signed an executive order directing the release of sensitive government files relating to UAP sightings. The move led to the Pentagon launching a dedicated website to publish photographs, videos and investigative documents from multiple government agencies.
The records include material from the Department of War, FBI, NASA, the State Department and other government bodies. The Pentagon’s public database currently lists hundreds of released files documenting unexplained aerial sightings dating back several decades.
In announcing the disclosure, Trump had promised what he described as “Complete and Maximum Transparency”.
“Whereas previous administrations have failed to be transparent on this subject, with these new documents and videos, the people can decide for themselves, ‘WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?'” Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Have Fun and Enjoy!”