Military personnel accidentally triggered an inflatable emergency slide attached to President Donald Trump’s Qatari-donated Air Force One on Wednesday, according to a person briefed on the matter. The slide deployed just before Trump was scheduled to board the aircraft and depart for Dallas, where he was set to speak at a GOP midterm convention.
Instead of exiting Marine One to board the plane as he typically does, Trump remained on the helicopter for several minutes. He eventually walked out onto the tarmac while officials inspected the slide. Trump told reporters that they were simply “checking the slide.”
White House communications director Steven Cheung later said in a statement: “As the President has said, the slide was checked out to make sure everything works perfectly. Air Force One is on its way to Dallas so he can deliver his much-anticipated speech to a raucous and sold-out crowd.”
Before boarding, Trump told reporters there were no security concerns. “No, they were checking it before, and they just wanted to make sure. So they’ve — I guess they’ve already put it up. They want to make sure everything works perfectly,” he said. When asked again whether he believed the plane was safe to fly, Trump chuckled and said, “Yeah, I am or I wouldn’t be on it.”
The plane landed safely in Dallas around 5:15 p.m. ET, a couple of hours later than expected.
Background on the Qatari-Donated Jet
Concerns have surrounded the Qatari-donated jet’s security capabilities for months, particularly after the Secret Service recommended that Trump instead fly on a plane that had previously been used as Air Force One. While White House officials have publicly stated that the new plane does not have security issues, two sources familiar with the matter acknowledged in July that it does not have all the security measures present on the older aircraft previously used by Trump.
Trump said later in July that the new jet would be sent away to receive upgrades to get “maxed out,” though then-press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at the time that it was just getting “upgrades and enhancements” and was “perfectly safe” for Trump to use.
The Qatari royal family donated the superluxury Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet last year for Trump to use while Boeing works to provide long-delayed updated Air Force One planes, which are expected in 2028.