Massive media failure here, reporting the drone hysteria with a straight face. It was the clown scare all over again, but they either didn't recognize it or were unwilling to lose the clicks by saying so.
Unfortunately, "it appears" is a weasel phrase, and “nothing nefarious” and “no sense of danger” coming from an admin that lied their asses off wasn't very believable at the time. Why not just come out and say it back then like they did today?
Note that the two major theories were that (1) the government has been hiding alien technology, and/or that (2) those were foreign military planes. To the degree that there's any credibility, those are extreme stories that warrant the absolute attention of... the whole world! Neither WH communications are sufficient to address an issue of such extreme magnitude!
Also, we have to consider that any government that's hiding alien technology would probably do anything they could to misdirect the issue.
They never outright confirm or denied like Trump admin did right now. They circled the issue entirely:
>Former president Joe Biden said at the time that the drones were “nothing nefarious” and told the public that his administration was following the issue closely but that there was “no sense of danger”.
>John Kirby, Biden’s national security communications adviser, also said at the time that the drones were not a national security or public safety risk.
>“To the contrary, upon review of available imagery, it appears that many of the reported sightings are actually manned aircraft that are being operated lawfully,” Kirby said at the time.
White House today:
>“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,” she said, adding that “many of these drones were also hobbyists, recreational and private individuals that enjoy flying drones”.
neither administration shared data. Trump's did a much better job of framing the issue though which is just about the only thing his team excels at doing.
It is not. It's a single data point -- that there weren't any unauthorized flights. It doesn't even explain the nature of the authorization (was it a blanket one like what allows hobby drone operations, or a specifically licensed one?)
The issue is their phrasing or presentation is that it was not direct. It was somewhat evasive. Why couldn’t they give a straight answer and tamp down the conspiracy theories at once?
The straight answer the public wants is, “where can I ensure that someone has reviewed my complaint about the drones’ behavior?”. I don’t mean to criticize the mob behavior implied, but in a very real sense, if I were a licensed drone operator in New Jersey, I would demand that the government not tell people who I am, for fear of my safety and well-being, without there being some sort of due process that I’ve failed to comply with. Neither Biden nor Trump admins were willing to tell us who is operating drones in New Jersey, which is sensible, even if it’s deeply unpalatable to residents who wish to register their objections usefully. What’s missing here is a reporting system for filing complaints about behaviors such as stalking a given property or person without their consent, with the FAA or NTSB or etc. serving as intermediary between the two parties and guaranteeing a followup so that residents can feel heard.