'Is this plane safe?' Trump answers after emergency slide deploys on Qatari jet

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump defended the safety of the Qatari-gifted jet after an emergency slide deployed before his departure from Joint Base Andrews Wednesday, September 9.

The aircraft, known as the “Flying Palace,” had been promoted by Trump as superior to the older Air Force One.

Trump spoke with reporters on the tarmac before leaving for the Republican National Convention in Dallas, where the slide deployment delayed his departure.

Trump says slide was part of a check

Trump suggested the emergency slide deployment was intentional as crews inspected the aircraft before departure.

“They were doing a check on the slide, you know, in the emergency. So, I think it takes about 15 minutes,” Trump said before boarding the new jet.

Trump had landed aboard Marine One at 2.02 pm ET, around the same time the slide was seen extended from the aircraft. 

He remained aboard Marine One for more than 20 minutes while the situation unfolded.

The older Air Force One then pulled up behind the Qatari jet, and crews were told it would serve as Wednesday’s backup. 

At 2.24 pm, Trump stepped off Marine One and boarded the new aircraft.

Asked whether he knew why the inspection was taking place and whether there was a security concern, Trump said, “I guess they’ve already put it up. They want to make sure everything works perfectly.”

A reporter then asked whether Trump was sure the plane was safe to fly.

“Yeah, I am — or I wouldn’t be on it,” Trump replied.

Qatari jet previously raised security questions

The safety exchange comes after Trump previously used the older Air Force One during a July trip from Turkey instead of the Qatari jet, after the resumption of hostilities with Iran, as per the New York Times report.

People briefed on the plans said the change was made at the urging of the Secret Service as a security precaution, while Trump denied the aircraft switch was caused by security concerns, the report said.

People briefed on the new plane’s capabilities also said it did not have all the features of the older aircraft, although the White House said the jet had been fitted with “high-level security protocols.”

The older plane has been widely reported to have systems designed to help protect it from incoming missiles, while it was unclear how many of those capabilities had been installed on the Qatari jet, as per the report.

Air Force One upgrade details remain unclear

The Air Force began upgrading the 747 jetliner in the United States last summer for “executive airlift” support, while officials said details of the work were classified.

Some lawmakers had questioned whether the expedited timeline would allow sufficient security measures to be installed. 

Industry and Pentagon officials said an extensive upgrade could cost as much as $1 billion and take up to two years, while Air Force Secretary Troy E Meink estimated the modifications would likely cost less than $400 million, according to the report.

Former Air Force assistant secretary Andrew P Hunter said a true retrofit of a 747 for Air Force One would require more than a year because significant structural modifications are needed for some security upgrades.

“In that time they had, they would be able to accommodate communications upgrades,” Hunter said. “But not anything that would require significant structural work.”