Trump Just Punished a Major Country for Funding Russia’s War Machine
A Grand Jury Investigation Into the Russia Hoax Has Been Ordered
Wait, Jim Acosta Did *What* With a Parkland Shooting Victim?
Trump Is Just Doing Business
Watch How Cory Booker Responds When Asked About Socialist NYC Mayor Candidate Zohran...
Second Amendment Foundation, Others File Lawsuit Challenging National Firearms Act
Trump 'Is a Piece of S**t': Crockett’s Plan to Win the Midterms
Florida Law Enforcement Net 48 Suspected Child Predators, 153 Charges Filed
New York’s Map Manipulator: Hochul’s Latest Power Grab to Undo GOP Wins
Elizabeth Warren Cheers on Socialist Mamdani, Dems Back Communist Agenda While City Crumbl...
Democrats Turn to Deepfake Tactics to Boost Jon Ossoff in Georgia
Texas House Approves Arrest Warrants for Democrats Who Fled to Illinois to Block...
Republican Lawmaker Will Introduce Bill Banning Mid-Decade Redistricting in This Blue Stat...
Even President Trump Said It's the 'HOTTEST' Ad Out there
Canadian Official Gives Insight on a Possible Trade Deal With the US
Tipsheet

Biden Was Asked About the Threat From the Chinese Spy Balloon. Here's How He Answered.

AP Photo/Evan Vucci

President Biden downplayed the national security threat posed by the Chinese spy balloon that traversed the United States last week before getting shot down by the U.S. military off the East Coast.   

Advertisement

"Look, the total amount of intelligence gathering that’s going on by every country around the world is overwhelming,"  Biden told Noticias Telemuno in an interview that ran Thursday. “It’s not a major breach."

“It's a violation of international law,” he added. “It's our airspace. And once it comes into our space, we can do what we want with it.”

The president explained he wanted the balloon shot down but the decision was made to wait due to concerns about falling debris. 

"This thing was gigantic. What happens if it came down and hit a school in a rural area?" he said. "So I told them as soon as they could shoot it down, shoot it down. They made a wise decision. They shot it down over water, they’re recovering most of the parts, and they're good."

Advertisement


The massive balloon was outfitted with multiple antennas, solar panels that powered a number of intelligence collection sensors, and explosives to disable the surveillance equipment, The Wall Street Journal reports. It traveled across the United States for seven days, entering Alaskan airspace near the Aleutian Islands on Jan. 28. After entering Canada, it came back to U.S. airspace over Idaho on Jan. 31. During its time in America, the balloon traveled near four sensitive military sites before getting shot down off the coast of South Carolina. 

Join the conversation as a VIP Member

Recommended

Trending on Townhall Videos

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement