Emergency slide deploys on Trump's Qatar-gifted jet just before boarding

An emergency evacuation slide on the new US presidential jet — a gift from Qatar — deployed just before President Donald Trump was set to board it, causing a brief commotion.

Trump headed to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Wednesday afternoon (local time) to travel to Dallas, Texas, where the Republican National Convention was being held.

On the runway at the base, Air Force One — the aircraft that would carry Trump and his entourage — was waiting. The plane is a modified Boeing 747-8 that Qatar's royal family gave Trump as a gift during his Middle East tour last year.

For long-distance trips at home and abroad, Trump typically flies from the White House in Washington aboard Marine One, the presidential helicopter, to Joint Base Andrews, where he switches to Air Force One.

But that day, moments before Trump stepped off Marine One, the inflatable emergency slide on the waiting Air Force One suddenly deployed. The device, meant to help passengers evacuate during an emergency landing, had activated unexpectedly.

Crews at the scene scrambled to address the situation, briefly delaying Trump's boarding. As a precaution, the previous Air Force One was also brought in as a backup.

Trump told reporters waiting in front of Air Force One that it was a "slide check," saying, "We want to make sure everything is working perfectly."

However, CBS reported that the incident was actually caused by an Air Force crew member who accidentally activated the emergency slide, contrary to Trump's explanation.

Trump has expressed satisfaction with the new Air Force One gifted by Qatar. However, concerns have been raised that the aircraft's security features — including advanced missile defense capabilities — may be inadequate, given that it was hastily modified for immediate use.

The new Air Force One was first used for one of Trump's overseas trips in July, during the NATO summit held in Ankara, Turkey.

However, when leaving Ankara to return home at the time, Trump did not immediately use the new Air Force One, citing intelligence about a terrorist threat from Iran.

Instead, he boarded the old Air Force One, a Boeing 747-200, before secretly slipping away shortly after and traveling aboard an Air Force transport plane to Mildenhall Air Force Base in England. There, he switched to the new Air Force One before returning to the United States.