President Donald Trump departed Washington for Texas on Wednesday aboard the Boeing 747 gifted by Qatar, but only after an emergency evacuation slide was accidentally deployed and removed.
The unexpected mishap briefly delayed the presidential flight.
Military personnel accidentally activated the slide shortly before Trump was scheduled to board, according to a person briefed on the incident who spoke with Reuters.
The slide was later seen being carried away from the aircraft.
Trump was traveling to Dallas for the first ever Republican midterm convention.
Despite the delay and the inevitable questions from the traveling press, the president boarded the jumbo jet and continued with his schedule.
One journalist asked Trump whether he was certain the aircraft remained safe to fly following the accidental deployment.
Trump answered directly: “Yeah, I am, or I wouldn’t be on it.”
The response was classic Trump, short on Washington hand wringing and long on common sense.
If the aircraft had presented an unacceptable danger, the commander in chief obviously would not have stepped aboard.
The Boeing 747 8 is normally equipped with 12 inflatable emergency evacuation slides. Those systems are designed to help passengers descend safely from the massive aircraft, which places its doors roughly 30 feet above the ground.
An accidental slide deployment can create a visible spectacle, particularly when it happens around the presidential aircraft.
Still, the available information indicated that personnel removed the deployed equipment and cleared the plane for departure after the brief interruption.
The Air Force did not immediately answer a request for comment about the episode.
As a result, officials had not publicly explained exactly how the slide was triggered, what inspections followed, or whether disciplinary or procedural action might result.
Trump began traveling aboard the jumbo jet on July 1 after accepting the aircraft as a gift from Qatar last year.
Its entry into presidential service followed an accelerated renovation effort intended to prepare the large Boeing aircraft for Trump’s use.
The Qatari aircraft has attracted substantial attention because of its origin, cost, security requirements, and unusually rapid conversion for presidential travel.
Even so, the administration moved ahead with the project as officials worked to expand reliable transportation options for the president.
Presidential aircraft require layers of specialized communications, security equipment, defensive technology, and operational support.
Those requirements mean even a gifted commercial aircraft cannot simply receive a fresh coat of paint and immediately begin carrying the commander in chief.
Trump said last week that the 747 is expected to leave service temporarily in October for additional security upgrades.
He said that work would take approximately 60 days, although the specific nature of the planned improvements was not disclosed.
The timing of those upgrades places renewed attention on the aircraft’s readiness and the procedures surrounding presidential flight operations.
However, nothing disclosed about Wednesday’s slide incident established that it was connected to the planned security work.
Emergency slides are built to deploy rapidly because seconds can matter during an evacuation.
That same design means an accidental activation can produce an immediate disruption, require specialized handling, and force crews to verify that the remaining safety systems are ready.
For Trump, the incident became another brief complication in a packed travel schedule rather than a reason to cancel the trip.
The aircraft was cleared, the president boarded, and Air Force One departed Washington for Dallas.
The image of crews hauling away an inflated evacuation slide naturally generated headlines, but the president appeared unfazed.
While the press looked for drama on the tarmac, Trump gave his answer, boarded the plane, and got back to business.
