Trump Texas trip delayed after Air Force One slide deploys

President Donald Trump’s departure for Texas was delayed Wednesday after an inflatable emergency slide on his Qatari-donated Air Force One deployed on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews before he boarded the plane.

Trump was preparing to fly to Dallas for the Republican National Committee’s Midterm Convention when the slide inflated and reached the ground. He remained aboard Marine One for several minutes instead of immediately walking to Air Force One, as he typically does, while officials and workers examined the slide.

Military personnel accidentally triggered the inflatable slide, NBC News reported, citing a person briefed on the matter. CBS News, citing sources familiar with the matter, reported that a member of the plane’s Air Force crew accidentally set it off.

Trump later stepped onto the tarmac and told reporters there was no security concern involving the aircraft.

“So they’re checking the slide over here,” Trump said. “They were doing a check on the slide, you know?”

Asked whether there was a security issue with the plane, Trump said, “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.”

When asked again whether he believed the aircraft was safe to fly, Trump chuckled and said, “Yeah, I am or I wouldn’t be on it.”

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.”

Workers eventually deflated and removed the slide, and the plane took off without incident. NBC News reported that it landed safely in Dallas around 5:15 p.m. ET, a couple of hours later than expected.

The incident drew attention because the newer Air Force One, a superluxury Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet donated by the Qatari royal family last year, has been in and out of service since Trump unveiled it earlier this summer. The plane was provided for Trump’s use while Boeing works on long-delayed updated Air Force One aircraft expected in 2028, according to NBC News.

Security concerns around the Qatari-donated jet have persisted for months. NBC News reported that the Secret Service had recommended Trump fly instead on a plane previously used as Air Force One. White House officials have said publicly that the new aircraft does not have security problems, but NBC News reported that two sources familiar with the matter acknowledged in July that it does not have all the security measures found on the older aircraft Trump previously used.

CBS News reported that Trump secretly used the older Air Force One to leave Turkey after a summit in July following a credible missile threat, then took the new jet home from the United Kingdom. The White House said soon afterward that Trump would continue using the older Air Force One while the newer luxury jet received additional security enhancements.

Trump said later in July that the new jet would be sent away for upgrades to get “maxed out.” Then-press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at the time that the aircraft was receiving “upgrades and enhancements” and was “perfectly safe” for Trump to use.

Trump is planning to take the new jet on an overseas trip to Ireland later this month, CBS News reported.