‘What’s actually going on?’: Vance 'obsessed' with UFO sightings; wants to get 'to the bottom' of mystery

US Vice President JD Vance revealed that he is “obsessed” with UFOs and plans to investigate the phenomenon in greater detail over the coming weeks. In candid remarks during an episode of the Ruthless Podcast released on Friday, Vance told hosts he was “particularly focused” on the subject and intends to use part of the August recess to explore unexplained sightings. “Like I’m obsessed with the whole UFO thing. ‘What’s actually going on?’ ‘What were those videos all about?’ ‘What’s actually happening?’” the vice president said unprompted. “I haven’t gotten to the bottom of it yet but we’re only six months in, we’ve been very busy,” he added, chuckling. “The August recess is in part me gonna try to dive to the bottom of the whole UFO thing from last year.” It remains unclear whether Vance was referring to the wave of unexplained drone sightings over New Jersey’s Picatinny Arsenal, which began on 13 November last year. Witnesses described seeing aircraft the size of cars hovering near the military site, the New York Post reported. Earlier this year, the Trump administration cited a report from the Federal Aviation Administration that found no record of unusual aerial activity during the period, despite a flurry of public concern. During the same podcast episode, co-host Michael Duncan also shared his long-standing curiosity about extraterrestrial phenomena. “I’ve been to Roswell,” Duncan said. “I’ve done the tours. I’ve done the whole thing.” “Did you see any aliens?” Vance asked. “No. I saw the hangar where they were,” Duncan replied, seemingly earnest. “Once I get to the bottom of it, if there’s anything there, I’ll make sure you’re the first to know,” Vance responded. The tone of the conversation left it uncertain whether Vance was entirely serious, though his interest appeared genuine. Another senior Trump official, secretary of state Marco Rubio, has also been vocal about the issue. As a senator, Rubio told NewsNation in 2023 that top US officials had “first-hand knowledge” of a secret Pentagon crash retrieval programme. Rubio recently gave an interview for the forthcoming documentary Age of Disclosure, which has drawn considerable attention from UFO disclosure advocates.