President Donald Trump’s flight to Dallas was briefly delayed at Joint Base Andrews after an inflatable emergency slide deployed from the newer, Qatar-gifted Air Force One. The slide inflated from the front right exit, prompting about a 20-minute wait on Marine One while Air Force personnel addressed the issue. White House officials called the deployment a check of the system; the jet later departed and landed safely in Dallas. The incident echoes a July security-related travel shuffle involving a decoy Air Force One and a Qatari jet.
Trump’s Air Force One Briefly Delayed After Emergency Slide Deploys on Qatar-Gifted Jet
U.S, Air Force personnel work after an emergency inflatable slide deployed before President Donald Trump arrived to board at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
President Donald Trump’s scheduled flight to Dallas was briefly delayed Wednesday at Joint Base Andrews when an inflatable emergency slide unexpectedly deployed from the newer Air Force One — a plane gifted by Qatar and later refurbished and repainted for presidential use.
U.S> Air Force personnel work after an emergency inflatable slide deployed before President Donald Trump arrived to board at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Trump arrived at the base aboard Marine One and remained on the helicopter for about 20 minutes while U.S. Air Force personnel attended to the slide, which had inflated from the front right exit — the side opposite the door the president typically uses to board. Reporters traveling with the president watched as an older, baby-blue-and-white presidential jet taxied from a hangar and stopped a few hundred yards behind the newer, repainted aircraft.
U.S. Air Force personnel work after an emergency inflatable slide deployed on Air Force One before President Donald Trump arrived to board at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
After inspecting the situation, Trump left the helicopter and told reporters the slide was being checked.
President Donald Trump talks with reporters after an emergency inflatable slide deployed on Air Force One before before Trump arrived to board at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
"They want to make sure everything works perfectly," Trump said when asked why the slide had deployed.
It was not immediately clear whether the slide deployed as part of an intentional test or because of a malfunction. White House communications director Steven Cheung released a statement saying the slide was checked to ensure it functioned properly, while the U.S. Air Force did not respond to requests for comment.
President Donald Trump boards Air Force One after an emergency inflatable slide deployed before he arrived at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
While crews worked to deflate, detach and remove the inflatable slide, Trump boarded the aircraft. The plane later departed and landed safely in Dallas a few hours later.
Related Security Shuffle in July
The episode recalled a security-related travel shuffle in July, when Trump left a NATO summit in Turkey on a third U.S. Air Force plane while the Qatari jet flew empty to a U.K. military base. An older Air Force One acted as a decoy that transported White House staff and reporters; Trump briefly boarded the decoy before transferring to the newer jet for the return to Joint Base Andrews. Weeks later, Trump said the Secret Service and military had suggested he travel on a different plane because of a threat.
Reporting: Barrow reported from Atlanta. Associated Press reporter Collin Binkley contributed from Washington.
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