NJ Drone Saga Highlights Our Frustration with Government Gaslighting

New Jersey is currently experiencing a wave of alarming civilian accounts regarding swarming drones that appear at night, flying over urban areas and intruding upon the airspace of both airports and military facilities.

Fearful residents are demanding clarification about the origins and purposes of these drones.

Initially, the Biden administration remained silent in the face of these concerns.

Under increasing public scrutiny, officials began to reassure citizens, asserting that most of the drones were probably operated by hobbyists and private individuals.

However, when this explanation failed to resonate with many, representatives shifted to characters of mass hysteria and misidentification.

The narrative suggested that amateur observers were panicking and experiencing hallucinations—erroneously mistaking ordinary civilian planes for drones.

Perhaps.

However, as the sightings persisted, government officials continued to describe the drones as unidentified yet essentially harmless and certainly not under foreign control.

Nonetheless, the mysterious appearances carried on.

Public fascination soon morphed into fear and ultimately anger directed at the government’s silence, gaslighting, and deceit.

In its characteristic deflection, the Biden administration has only stoked rumors and occasional conspiracy theories while it could have engaged with rational inquiries and entertained valid concerns.

Could a controversial government entity—perhaps the CIA or EPA—be conducting surveillance on locations or individuals that would either embarrass them or incite public panic?

And whom do they serve, beyond the public interest or in line with the administration’s use of government as a weapon?

Or could these drones represent foreign surveillance akin to the 2023 Chinese spy balloon incident?

A government that has long since lost its credibility cannot offer truthful reassurances to its citizens, even if it desired to do so.

For nearly four years, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas confidently assured the American people almost weekly that “the border is secure”—even as an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants crossed it without issue.

White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre repeatedly asserted that President Joe Biden was vigorous, fully engaged, and always “sharp.”

In reality, she was aware that the American public witnessed their president slurring his words, going suddenly silent, stumbling, and meandering off during events.

In late January and early February 2023, a massive Chinese surveillance balloon traversed the country, igniting public outrage as the administration frequently altered its explanations.

It variously claimed the balloon was a harmless weather balloon, too perilous to shoot down, that it wasn’t transmitting any data back to China, and that it wouldn’t pass over key military assets.

All these statements were either misleading or false.

In late July and early August 2021, it became evident that the Biden administration was preparing for a major, previously secretive, and abrupt withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Rumors suggested that Biden eagerly wanted to take sole credit for ending the chaotic 20-year Afghan war, aiming to mark his success on the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

To mitigate public anxiety, military leaders reassured everyone that the Taliban was under control, Kabul was safe, and the withdrawal would proceed smoothly.

Yet, chaos erupted within hours.

Thirteen servicemembers were killed by terrorists.

No background checks or audits were conducted on Afghans flown to the U.S. Meanwhile, loyal Afghan interpreters and American contractors were left behind to face victorious terrorists alone.

As Americans watched the unfolding disaster, the Biden administration boasted about a supposed heroic effort to evacuate thousands—while the public perceived it as the most significant military humiliation the U.S. has faced in decades.

Consequently, the American populace understandably harbors skepticism about nearly everything emanating from the beleaguered Biden administration—especially after its repeated deceptions concerning the Wuhan lab’s involvement in the COVID-19 outbreak, claims of only “moderate” inflation, and commitments that Hunter Biden would never be granted a pardon by his father.

This administration has learned that whenever scandal or embarrassment strikes Biden’s team, it reaches for loudspeakers that dismiss inquiries, gaslight critics by labeling them delusional, slander them as conspiratorial, or simply engage in outright lies and stonewalling.

Ultimately, the true nature of these drones—what they are and what they are doing in our skies—remains a mystery, as does the question of whether they pose any real threat.

Yet, it is increasingly assumed that the Biden administration holds elusive answers while poised to mislead the public into believing ignorance.

Victor Davis Hanson is a distinguished fellow of the Center for American Greatness.