US President Donald Trump steps off Air Force One to board the new Qatari-gifted Boeing plane, en route to the US, at Royal Air Force Mildenhall, in Milidenhall, England, July 8 [Win McNamee/Getty Images]
US President Donald Trump’s Qatari-gifted Air Force One was delayed on the tarmac Wednesday after an emergency inflatable slide accidentally deployed, raising fresh questions over the safety of the jet.
Trump — who was preparing to travel to a Republican Party convention in Dallas from Joint Base Andrews — had to wait in his helicopter before being able to board the plane following the incident.
The 80-year-old then told reporters that inspectors were checking one of the Boeing 747’s inflatable slides used for emergency evacuations.
“They’re checking the slide over here, and I think it’s going to take 15 minutes,” Trump said on the tarmac before boarding.
