Trump Describes Reported F-22 Encounter
President Donald Trump said Air Force pilots told him they observed a round unidentified object traveling at roughly three times the speed of an F-22 fighter jet, describing the account as one of several unusual incidents shared with him by military aviators.
Trump made the comments in an interview with correspondent Ross Douthat that aired Sunday on CBS’ 60 Minutes. Asked whether anything he had seen, heard or been told convinced him that unidentified objects represented something beyond conventional aircraft or other known explanations, Trump said he was “not too much of a believer.” He nevertheless pointed to conversations with Air Force pilots in the Oval Office as particularly notable.
“These are not people that you would say are conspiracy theorists,” Trump said, describing the pilots as highly accomplished professionals. He called them “the real deal” and said they had told him about encounters involving objects that appeared to move in ways they could not readily explain.
The Object’s Reported Characteristics
Trump said one account involved pilots flying an F-22, which he characterized as “the best there is” and among the fastest aircraft ever built. According to Trump, an object passed the fighter at approximately three times its speed.
“And it’s round,” Trump said. “It’s not aerodynamic.”
The president did not identify the pilots, specify when or where the encounter occurred, or provide details about the object’s apparent altitude, size, flight path or method of detection. He also did not say whether the incident was documented through radar data, cockpit recordings, maintenance records or other forms of evidence.
Those omissions make it impossible, based on the information provided, to independently assess the account. A reported speed comparison would also require details about the F-22’s flight conditions and the method used to estimate the object’s speed. An unidentified object is not necessarily an extraterrestrial craft; the term can refer to anything that has not been conclusively identified, including aircraft, balloons, drones, atmospheric phenomena or sensor artifacts.
Broader UFO Questions
The interview also touched on allegations that the U.S. government may operate a secret program studying UFOs—now commonly described by government agencies as unidentified anomalous phenomena, or UAP—without the president’s knowledge. Trump said he would investigate whether such a program could exist.
The comments come amid renewed political attention to the release of government records concerning UFO reports. The source material refers to Trump having previously directed the War Department to release UAP and UFO files and to planned disclosures of Pentagon-related material. It also references claims by alleged whistleblowers who say the government has concealed information about recovered craft and secret spending, though those allegations were not substantiated in the material provided.
No Independent Confirmation Cited
A photograph accompanying the report was described as an image from a 2026 FBI report showing a black, triangular object above mountainous terrain. Federal agents reportedly observed a silent triangular object hovering above a ridgeline before accelerating into a canyon, but the report does not indicate that authorities confirmed the object’s origin or capabilities.
No independent evidence confirming the alleged round object’s performance was cited. Trump’s account, as presented, rests on his description of conversations with unnamed Air Force pilots. Further evaluation would require the release of official records, sensor data, pilot testimony and analyses from government or outside investigators. Until such information becomes available, the claim remains an unverified account rather than established evidence of a breakthrough aircraft or extraterrestrial activity.
