White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt held her first press briefing on Tuesday—and before taking questions, she said she had an update on the New Jersey drone sightings. Leavitt, saying she was delivering a message directly from President Trump, told reporters the drones were "not the enemy," NJ.com reports. "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.
Late last year, drone sightings caused alarm in New Jersey and some lawmakers called for them to be shot down. At a news conference last month, Trump said "something strange" was going on and said Joe Biden's administration didn't "want to tell the people" about it. Leavitt said Tuesday that the issue became worse due to "curiosity," NBC News reports. "Many of these drones were also hobbyists, recreational, and private individuals that enjoy flying drones," she said.
Leavitt, 27, is the youngest White House press secretary in history—and she has already delivered more briefings than one of the press secretaries in Trump's first administration, the AP reports. Stephanie Grisham didn't hold a single press briefing during her nine months as press secretary. Leavitt said Tuesday that she plans to hold frequent briefings. "Whether you are a TikTok content creator, a blogger, a podcaster—if you are producing legitimate news content, no matter the medium, you will be allowed to apply for press credentials to this White House," she said, per the Guardian. (More drones stories.)
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
