US Election: Tense moment at Trump rally as smoke appears in the sky
Donald Trump’s latest rally in the swing state of Arizona was interrupted by a bizarre moment which saw streams of smoke appear in the sky above the audience.
The unexpected disruption came in the middle of the president’s address to a large crowd in Bullhead City, located on the Colorado River, on Wednesday (local time).
In what was a tense moment for security personnel proved to be a moment of delight for the unwitting president who seemed to think it was some sort of pyrotechnics display.
"Oh, look at that! Look look look! Look at that. They gave the president a little display,” he told the adoring audience.
Unbeknownst to him, and those in attendance at the time, was the fact the smoke was from an F-16 fighter jet firing off flares to ward off another aircraft that had entered into the restricted air space.
The aircraft was unresponsive and did not have clearance to be in the airspace, according to the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).
(1/2) At approx. 1400 MDT, NORAD F-16 aircraft investigated a general aviation aircraft that was not in communication with ATC and entered the Temporary Flight Restriction area surrounding Bullhead City, AZ without proper clearance. #WeHaveTheWatch
— North American Aerospace Defense Command (@NORADCommand) October 28, 2020
“The violating aircraft was non-responsive to initial intercept procedures, but established radio communications after NORAD aircraft deployed signal flares,” it said.
“The aircraft was escorted out of the restricted area by the NORAD aircraft without further incident.”
At the time, the president appeared thrilled by the incident.
“Wow, how about that... How about that,” he said as the audience began chanting: “USA, USA, USA.”
“I wonder if the fake news caught that. Did you see that camera? Because they never turn the camera, they never want to show anything that’s good,” he said.
Journalists at the rally reported that the interloping aircraft was not visible on the ground in Arizona but the fighter jet could be heard overhead, which prompted the excited reaction from the president who said the jet was "trying to show off" for him.
According to CNN, US Secret Service agents also reacted to the fighter jet’s unexpected presence showing alarm. Some agents reportedly moved quickly towards the president, but stopped short of actually taking the stage.
The Arizona rally comes as Mr Trump and his rival Joe Biden make their final campaign sprint to woo voters in a handful of key battleground state’s ahead of next week’s election.
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