'Three Times Their Speed': Donald Trump Details US Air Force Pilots' 'Very Strange' UFO Encounters

President Donald Trump said US Air Force pilots described a round object travelling at 'three times their speed' near an F-22 fighter jet.

His remarks were aired on CBS's 60 Minutes on Sunday, 8 November 2026. He previously described a similar sighting involving an object moving four times faster.

The interview, recorded at the White House, followed the Pentagon's latest release of records on unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP).

The seventh batch was published on 23 October as part of a government disclosure initiative ordered by Trump.

Donald Trump Gives Different Speed Figure for Pilots' UFO Account

Speaking to CBS correspondent Ross Douthat, Trump said he had met experienced Air Force pilots in the Oval Office during both presidential terms. Most meetings occurred during his first term, with some taking place during his second.

Trump portrayed the pilots as credible military professionals rather than conspiracy theorists. He nevertheless acknowledged his own scepticism about extraordinary explanations.

'I'm not too much of a believer,' he said, before recalling conversations with pilots who described unusual encounters.

According to Trump, pilots flying an F-22 reported seeing a round object pass their aircraft at 'three times their speed'. He said its shape was particularly unusual because it was not aerodynamic.

However, the speed figure differed from Trump's earlier accounts of a seemingly similar encounter.

During a 15 October interview with Newsmax presenter Rob Finnerty, Trump described speaking to approximately five or six pilots. He said one reported seeing a round object travelling at four times the speed of an F-22.

Trump used the same higher figure during a September 2024 appearance on Gutfeld!. He recalled three or four pilots visiting the Oval Office and describing an unidentified round object moving four times faster than their aircraft.

Whether those accounts concerned the same sighting remains unclear. Trump did not identify the pilots or provide a date or location for the encounter discussed on 60 Minutes.

He also presented no radar records, cockpit footage or independently verified speed measurements. The differing figures reflect his descriptions, rather than established evidence of the object's performance.

Donald Trump Denies Knowledge of Alleged Secret UFO Programme

Douthat also questioned Trump about claims from self-described whistleblowers concerning a secret government programme investigating unidentified craft. The allegations suggest such operations could remain hidden even from sitting presidents.

'No. And I haven't heard that,' Trump replied when asked whether he had encountered evidence supporting those claims.

The president said he would seek answers if such a programme existed. However, his remarks provided no confirmation of its existence or evidence that an investigation had begun.

The discussion followed renewed disclosures through the Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters, known as PURSUE. The initiative directs federal agencies to identify, review and release historical and declassified UFO-related material.

The Pentagon's seventh release contained 28 PDF documents, according to published file inventories. They included historical Air Force reports, contractor investigations and records concerning a reported black triangular object.

Other material concerned a 2010 Utah ranch investigation. None of those publicly described records has been linked to the F-22 encounter Trump recounted.

The Pentagon says some UAP cases remain unresolved because available information is insufficient to determine what witnesses observed. Its disclosure programme continues releasing records, but Trump's latest account offered no independently verifiable evidence establishing the reported object's speed or origin.