President Donald Trump's aircraft, Air Force One, was forced to return to Washington DC shortly after takeoff on Tuesday evening due to what officials described as a 'minor electrical issue'. The plane was en route to Switzerland for the World Economic Forum in Davos.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the decision to turn back was made 'out of an abundance of caution' after the crew detected the fault. A pool reporter noted that the lights in the press cabin flickered off briefly after the aircraft became airborne.
Trump transferred to a backup aircraft, an Air Force C-32 (a modified Boeing 757), and continued his journey to Davos. Leavitt quipped to reporters that the Qatari jet, a luxury Boeing 747-8 gifted to Trump in 2025 and currently being refitted for US security standards, was sounding like the 'much better' option at that moment.
The two ageing jets serving as Air Force One have been in service for nearly four decades, and Boeing's efforts to deliver replacements have faced repeated delays. Technical problems on the presidential jet are rare due to meticulous maintenance, though similar incidents have occurred in the past, including a mechanical malfunction in 2006 that forced George W. Bush to switch aircraft.
The unscheduled turnaround was expected to delay Trump's arrival in Davos, where the meeting is overshadowed by his threat of tariffs on European countries over Greenland. Trump told reporters before departing: 'Let's put it this way: it's going to be a very interesting Davos.'
