Donald Trump's trip to the Republican Midterm Convention hit a snag when his gifted and controversial Air Force One deployed its emergency plane slide.
"They were doing a check on the slide. I think it takes 15 minutes," Trump told reporters while trying to downplay the incident after disembarking from his Marine One helicopter to board the subsequent flight. "They wanted to make sure it's going to work perfectly."
Photos Show Plane Stationary on Runway
Photos taken at the scene depict the plane stationary on the runway, leading many to question what was occurring, particularly in light of a recent episode where the President was covertly removed from Air Force One in a catering container before switching to a military aircraft.
This highly irregular action last month came in response to a credible assassination threat from Iran.
Reporter Questions Plane Safety
Following the latest incident, one reporter posted a photo, captioning it: "Something weird is going on with Trump's departure. Marine One landed over 10 minutes ago and someone closed the shade but no one exited yet."
When asked: "Are you sure the plane is safe to fly?" The President responded: "Yeah. I am.. or I wouldn't be on it."
President Boards After Extended Press Interaction
After engaging with the press for an extended period while the slide issue was being addressed, the president boarded the aircraft as cameras continued to roll.
Trump had remained inside Marine One well after it had landed, with the door of the helicopter remaining shut, according to multiple reports.
As the helicopter came to a halt, the older blue-and-white Air Force One was manoeuvred out of its hangar and positioned a few hundred yards behind the jet gifted by Qatar, before lowering its front and rear steps.
Shortly afterwards, the new aircraft had its inflatable emergency slide deployed from the front door on the right-hand side, opposite the left-hand door that the president typically uses for boarding.
