An emergency inflatable slide unfolded from the right side of Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews at about 2:20 p.m. while President Donald Trump waited to board the aircraft for a trip to the Republican midterm convention in Dallas. The slide appeared on the tarmac opposite the side Trump usually uses to board, according to a White House pool report. Trump was seated nearby on Marine One at the time.
The president said reporters that the slide was undergoing a check that would take about 15 minutes. When asked whether he was confident the aircraft was safe, Trump replied, “Yeah, I am, or I wouldn’t be on it.” After the slide was deflated and removed, the jet departed.
The aircraft, a $400 million Boeing 747‑8, was a gift from Qatar’s royal family last year. After Pentagon‑led modifications, it entered presidential service this summer as a temporary replacement for the older plane. Trump made his first flight aboard the jet in July.
Security concerns have surrounded the new plane. In July, Trump switched back to the older aircraft after U.S. officials received intelligence of a possible Iranian assassination attempt. The Secret Service had advised against using the Qatari‑gifted jet because it lacked certain security features. A White House spokesperson countered that the new Air Force One is state‑of‑the‑art with high‑level protocols. A covert operation reportedly moved Trump into a catering cart and onto a different aircraft from Turkey while other staff remained on the older plane. After the trip, Trump said the $400 million jet would be taken out of service for additional upgrades, but a senior White House official said he plans to use it for a trip to Ireland on September 12.
