Fighter jets intercept multiple unidentified aircraft near Trump’s Navy event at Norfolk base

NORFOLK, VIRGINIA: The morning of October 5 turned out to be a little too action-packed for a presidential celebration.

Fighter jets roared into the skies over Norfolk, Virginia, after four unidentified aircraft entered restricted airspace above a naval base where President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump were attending an event honoring the Navy’s 250th birthday.

Fighter jets scramble after airspace breaches during Trump’s Navy event

The day started smoothly enough. The event, dubbed “Titans of the Sea: A Salute to the Fleet,” kicked off at 8:34 am at Naval Station Norfolk, with President Donald Trump delivering a speech surrounded by sailors, brass, and a handful of top officials, including Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth and Secretary of the Navy John Phelan.

But the calm was shattered about three hours and 21 minutes later. The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) reported the first airspace violation around 11:55 am ET.

A temporary flight restriction (TFR) had been put in place specifically for the event, but that didn’t stop a civilian plane from wandering into the no-fly zone. Fighter jets were immediately scrambled, firing off flares to get the pilot’s attention before escorting the aircraft to a safe landing.

NORAD later confirmed that “the identification and monitoring of the civilian aircraft demonstrate how NORAD executes its aerospace warning and control missions for the US and Canada.” They added, “General aviation pilots are reminded to verify all FAA Notices to Airmen.”

Roughly 30 minutes after the first incident, another small aircraft breached the restricted airspace and received the same VIP escort treatment from NORAD.

Two more planes followed later in the day, at 4:15 pm and 4:46 pm, respectively. Both were closely tracked and monitored until they landed safely. In total, four general aviation aircraft entered the restricted zone throughout the day.

Trump mocks Obama and boasts about his health during Navy event speech

Despite the chaos above, President Donald Trump didn’t seem ruffled in the least. The president broke into his signature “YMCA” dance and launched into one of his trademark riffs, roasting his predecessors and boasting about his health.

The 79-year-old recently faced speculation about his health after being out of sight for a few days, but he seemed determined to put those rumors to rest. Addressing a crowd of Navy officers, he recounted how his former White House doctor — now Texas congressman Ronny Jackson — once compared him to Barack Obama and George W Bush.

“A man that everybody loves — he was my doctor in the White House and I got to know him very well,” Trump said. “He was also the doctor for Barack Hussein Obama. Have you heard of him?”

That line got the laughs rolling. “He was a doctor for a man named Bush. And at a press conference, they asked him, ‘Who’s in the best shape, who’s the healthiest, who’s the strongest, who’s the best physical specimen of the three?’ He said, ‘That’s easy. President Donald Trump!’ And I said, ‘I love this guy!’”

The crowd erupted in applause and laughter as Trump continued. “I said, ‘I love him!’ Ronny Jackson. He’s now a congressman, you know. So, he was an admiral, he was a chief doctor — he was the whole boss of doctors — and now he’s a very, very successful congressman from Texas. Thank you, Ronny, and I appreciate those words. I’ll never forget them.”

Of course, Jackson has a history of backing up Trump’s claims. While serving as his White House physician, Jackson faced criticism from the left for his over-the-top praise of the then-president’s health.

Back in 2018, Jackson famously told reporters that Trump “has incredibly good genes, and it’s just the way God made him.” He even joked, “I told the president that if he had a healthier diet over the last 20 years, he might live to be 200 years old.”

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