President Donald Trump said Air Force pilots described seeing a round object pass an F-22 fighter jet at roughly three times the aircraft’s speed. He also said he would look into claims that the government may have a secret UFO research program unknown to the president.
Trump discussed the reports in an interview with Ross Douthat that aired Sunday on CBS’s “60 Minutes.” Asked whether anything he had seen or been told suggested unidentified objects might have an unusual explanation, Trump said he was “not too much of a believer,” but recounted speaking with Air Force pilots in the Oval Office.
He called the pilots highly capable and said they had told him about “things that are very strange.” Trump described one account involving an F-22, which he characterized as the best and fastest aircraft. According to the pilots, he said, a round object flew past the jet at three times its speed, despite having no aerodynamic shape.
Trump did not name the pilots or provide details about when or where the reported encounter took place.
Douthat also asked about claims by purported whistleblowers that the government runs a secret program to study UFOs, potentially without the president’s knowledge. Trump said he had not heard of such a program, but added that he would try to find out whether one existed. He later acknowledged that many credible people believe the claims, though he remained doubtful.
The comments came weeks after the Pentagon’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office released newly declassified records covering reported UFO sightings over several decades.
One record described a 2026 sighting reported by federal law enforcement agents. They said they saw a matte-black, triangular object rise vertically above a mountain ridge, hover without a sound, then speed into a canyon at what they likened to a fighter jet’s pace.
The witnesses reported seeing no engines, rotors or exhaust. Thermal equipment showed an even heat signature across the object rather than the concentrated heat often associated with propulsion. The object was not identified, and the Pentagon noted that the reported speed was based on witness estimates, not instrument readings.
