Document · News, checked against the broadcaster transcript · 8 November 2026
Trump on 60 Minutes: F-22 pilots and a round object (8 Nov 2026)
In his post-midterm 60 Minutes interview with Ross Douthat, aired on 8 November 2026, President Trump said Air Force pilots had told him in the Oval Office, in his first term and "a little bit second term", that while flying an F-22 "something goes by them at three times their speed and it's round. It's not aerodynamic".
Asked about the whistleblowers' claim of a secret program, he said he had not heard of one, "but if there is I'm gonna find out about it right after this interview."
It matters because a sitting president says, on the record, that military pilots brought him firsthand encounters with a craft that outran an F-22. The pilots are unnamed, and no date, place or unit is given.
On the record
- Read in CBS's own transcript.
- Trump is firsthand to the meetings; the sightings reach us secondhand through him.
- The only F-22 case on file is case/langley-2023; nothing ties this account to it.
Cases (1)
Connected
Sources
- CBS News, 60 Minutes post-midterm interview transcript (Ross Douthat, aired 8 Nov 2026)
- Hindustan Times, 'Trump on UFO sightings: Air Force pilots have told me very strange things'
- Daily Beirut, 'Trump confirms he spoke with military pilots who witnessed UFOs' (Newsmax interview, Oct 2026)
- The News International, 'Trump shares key details on full UFO files release in recent interview' (16 Oct 2026)
- DSP Daily (Korean), 3x on 60 Minutes against 4x on Newsmax (9 Nov 2026)