NEW YORK (BLOOMBERG) -- President Donald Trump’s departure for his midterm convention in Dallas was delayed by an unexpected culprit: the emergency slide on the Qatari-gifted jet used as Air Force One.
Upon arriving by helicopter Wednesday at Joint Base Andrews, Trump was forced to remain on board for around 20 minutes as the inflatable slide remained deployed near the front of the plane. Workers on the ground eventually removed the slide, allowing Trump to get underway.
The president told reporters on the tarmac that “they were doing a check on the slide.”
Asked if he was sure Air Force One was safe to fly, Trump replied: “Yeah, I am, or I wouldn’t be on it.”
Crew members look at an inflated escape device extends from the side of the Boeing VC-25B "Bridge" Air Force One aircraft to the ground on September 9, 2026 at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland.Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
The moment produced an unusual scene, with Air Force and Secret Service personnel scurrying around on the tarmac as the president remained out of view inside the helicopter known as Marine One. At one point, the older aircraft formerly used as Air Force One was seen moving out of its hangar toward the newer plane and its front and rear stairs were opened.
The staircase deployment is the latest attention-grabbing incident involving the luxury Boeing Co. jet, which Trump started flying this summer after getting exasperated with the company for delays in delivering a long-planned replacement presidential aircraft.
Trump secretly flew out of Turkey while returning from the NATO summit in July aboard the old Air Force One because of an alleged security threat posed by Iran, while the White House led the public to believe he was on the new plane.
The Qatari-gifted 747-8 lacks all the security, communications and defensive capabilities of the VC-25 typically used as Air Force One. The Air Force has previously said it is safe for the president to fly.
The plane received security upgrades before it was handed over to the Air Force for Trump’s use. But Trump said in July that the new jet would receive additional improvements over the summer to have it “maxed out,” without elaborating.
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