Emergency slide deploys on Qatari-gifted Air Force One before Trump departs for GOP convention

By Alejandra Jaramillo, CNN

(CNN) — An apparent issue with a new presidential aircraft delayed President Donald Trump’s departure for his GOP convention in Dallas on Wednesday, after an emergency slide deployed on the far side of the plane.

Talking to reporters on the tarmac, Trump suggested the deployment of the slide was intentional.

“They were doing a check on the slide, you know, in the emergency. So, I think it takes about 15 minutes,” Trump told reporters before boarding the Qatari-gifted jet.

Trump landed at Joint Base Andrews aboard Marine One at 2:02 pm ET. Around the same time, the emergency slide was seen extended from the new plane that the president has often touted as being superior to the old presidential plane.

Trump remained aboard Marine One for more than 20 minutes as the situation unfolded on the tarmac. The older Air Force One with a light blue paint job soon pulled up and parked behind the new aircraft, and crews were told the older plane was serving as Wednesday’s backup.

At 2:24 p.m., the stairs of Marine One were extended, and the president stepped off to board the new jet.

Asked whether he knew the reason for the inspection and whether there was a security concern, Trump said, “I guess they’ve already put it up. They want to make sure everything works perfectly.”

When asked if he was confident that it was safe to fly, Trump responded, “Yeah, I am, or I wouldn’t be on it.”

A White House spokesperson referred to Trump’s comments when asked for more information about what caused the issue.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.