President Trump experienced a 20-minute delay en route to the Republican midterm convention Wednesday due to an issue with an emergency slide on a jet gifted by Qatar. The slide deployed from the aircraft and remained extended, preventing departure.
While seated in Marine One on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews, Trump observed the slide extending from the Qatari-gifted plane. The older, blue and white Air Force One then positioned itself behind the aircraft.
Trump addressed the delay, telling reporters that staff were conducting a test of the emergency slide. "They were doing a check on the slide, you know, the emergency. So I think it takes about 15 minutes," he stated. "They want to make sure everything works perfectly."
This incident follows a previous travel disruption in August when Trump departed a NATO meeting in Turkey by descending via a catering truck to board a different military aircraft. The slide that deployed on Wednesday was from the right-hand-side door, the same door from which Trump exited in Turkey.
Despite the recent issue, Trump expressed confidence in the Qatari jet, responding "Yeah I am," when asked if he felt it was safe, adding, "Or I wouldn't be on it." He acknowledged that the new plane does not possess all the same anti-defense measures as the older Air Force One.