Donald Trump has called for a suspected Chinese spy balloon flying over Montana to be shot down.
Posting on his Truth Social website the former president said: “SHOOT DOWN THE BALLOON!”
U.S. authorities announced they were tracking a “high-altitude surveillance balloon” on Thursday, which had entered Montana airspace after flying over Canada and parts of Alaska.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is pictured above in Palm Beach, Florida in November 2022. Inset: a file photo of an Israeli-made surveillance Aerostat Balloon. Trump has called for a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon over Montana to be shot down.
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According to The Washington Post, the military considered shooting it down but advised President Joe Biden against this due to the danger of falling debris to people on the ground.
Speaking at an impromptu press conference on Thursday, Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Patrick Ryder insisted the balloon isn’t a physical threat to Americans at ground level.
He claimed it is “well above commercial air traffic and does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground.”
Newsweek reached out to the Chinese Foreign Ministry for comment. » …
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