JOINT BASE ANDREWS, MD. (THECOUNT) — President Donald Trump was delayed Wednesday afternoon after an emergency evacuation slide deployed from the new Qatar-gifted Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews before the president was scheduled to fly to Dallas for the Republican Party’s first-ever midterm convention.
Trump remained aboard Marine One for more than 20 minutes as U.S. Air Force personnel examined the inflated slide, which extended from the right side of the Boeing 747-8 and reached the tarmac. Trump arrived at Joint Base Andrews aboard Marine One at approximately 2:02 p.m. ET.
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Trump later told reporters that the slide was being checked as part of an emergency-system inspection and indicated there was no security concern involving the aircraft.
“They were doing a check on the slide, you know, in the emergency. So, I think it takes about 15 minutes,” Trump said.
Asked whether he was confident the aircraft was safe to fly, Trump replied, “Yeah, I am, or I wouldn’t be on it.”
The White House referred questions about the slide’s deployment back to Trump’s comments. The Air Force did not immediately provide a detailed explanation of why the emergency slide deployed. It remains unclear from the publicly available information whether the slide was intentionally deployed as part of a check or was activated unexpectedly.
The unusual scene prompted officials to bring Trump’s older blue-and-white Air Force One out as a backup. The aircraft was positioned behind the newer presidential jet, with its stairs deployed while crews dealt with the emergency slide.
Trump ultimately left Marine One and boarded the Qatar-gifted aircraft. The slide was later deflated, removed from the aircraft and hauled away by ground personnel.
The plane subsequently departed for Dallas without incident, allowing Trump to continue his trip to the Republican midterm convention, where he was scheduled to deliver the keynote address Wednesday night.
The incident involves the Boeing 747-8 that Trump began using as Air Force One in July after the aircraft was accepted as a gift from Qatar. The plane is approximately 14 years old and has undergone an accelerated retrofit for presidential use.
The aircraft, valued at approximately $400 million, has drawn scrutiny since its transfer to the United States because of questions surrounding the foreign gift, the cost of converting it for presidential use and the security modifications required before it can operate in its intended presidential role.
Trump previously described the aircraft as “the world’s most luxurious plane” and said in July that it would be further upgraded. The aircraft is scheduled to be taken out of service for additional security work later this year, with Reuters reporting that the work is expected to keep it out of service for approximately 60 days.
The incident comes weeks after Trump used the older Air Force One during a covert aircraft-switching operation following his departure from a NATO summit in Turkey amid threats against the president. Trump had arrived in the Qatar-gifted aircraft but ultimately returned to the United States aboard a different military aircraft while the traditional Air Force One operated as a decoy.
The new presidential aircraft has continued to generate attention as the administration works through its security upgrades and preparations for expanded use by the president.
Joint Base Andrews, located in Prince George’s County, Maryland, is the primary military airfield serving the Washington, D.C., region and is frequently used for presidential travel aboard Air Force One and Marine One.
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