An emergency inflatable slide deployed from Air Force One on Wednesday afternoon as President Donald Trump waited to board the aircraft at Joint Base Andrews.
At about 2:20 p.m., the slide rolled out onto the tarmac from the right side of the Qatari-gifted aircraft, opposite the side typically used by Trump to board, according to a White House pool report. Trump was seated nearby on Marine One at the time.
The president — who is scheduled to fly to Dallas for the Republican midterm convention — told reporters that “they were doing a check on the slide,” which he said “takes about 15 minutes.”
Asked by a reporter whether he’s sure that the aircraft is safe to fly, Trump replied: “Yeah, I am, or I wouldn’t be on it.”
The new Air Force One, a $400 million Boeing 747‑8, was gifted to Trump by Qatar’s royal family last year. After Pentagon-led modifications, the plane was rushed into presidential service this summer as a temporary replacement for the aging aircraft traditionally used to transport the president. Trump made his inaugural flight aboard the aircraft in July.
open image in galleryIn addition to the controversy over the lavish gift — reportedly one Trump plans to keep after leaving office — the plane has faced questions about its security.
In July, Trump switched aircraft while leaving a NATO summit in Turkey after U.S. officials received intelligence of a potential Iranian assassination threat. On July 8, Trump publicly boarded the older Air Force One rather than the new, Qatari-gifted jet he had flown in on.
According to The New York Times, the Secret Service urged the president not to use the new aircraft for the departure from Turkey, with sources telling the outlet that it lacked certain security features present on the older plane.
A White House spokesperson pushed back, telling the Times: “The new Air Force One is a state-of-the-art aircraft that has been fitted with high-level security protocols that ensure the safety of the president and his staff.”
open image in galleryIt was later reported that — as part of a covert security operation —Trump was moved into a catering cart and secretly flown out of Turkey on a different military aircraft, while other staffers and reporters remained aboard the older Air Force One.
After the July trip, Trump said that the $400 million aircraft would be taken out of service and “maxed out” with additional security upgrades.
However, a senior White House official told The Independent last week that Trump plans to use the Qatari-gifted jet for his trip to Ireland on September 12.
The Independent has contacted the White House for comment.