Trump's Texas trip delayed after emergency slide deploys on new Air Force One on tarmac
President Trump's departure to Texas was briefly delayed after an emergency slide on the new Air Force One accidentally deployed while on the tarmac. The White House confirmed the incident was a technical error and the President safely departed on a backup aircraft.
Why it matters
The incident highlights ongoing logistical and maintenance challenges with the new presidential aircraft fleet.
Washington — President Trump's departure to Texas on Wednesday was delayed after an inflatable emergency slide on the new Qatar-gifted Air Force One deployed on the tarmac before he boarded, prompting workers to eventually remove it.The president was headed to Dallas for the RNC's Midterm Convention. He was waiting to disembark from Marine One to board Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland when reporters spotted the slide had inflated and reached the ground. The old Air Force One soon arrived as a backup.A member of the plane's Air Force crew accidentally triggered the inflatable slide, sources familiar with the matter told CBS News.Mr. Trump approached reporters and said workers were examining the slide, claiming nothing was wrong with the safety feature. "So they're checking the slide over here," Mr. Trump told reporters.
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