Donald Trump's departure aboard Marine One was delayed after an emergency evacuation slide unexpectedly deployed from the door of his new Air Force One, which had been due to carry him to the Republican Midterm Convention. Trump was left waiting inside the helicopter after it landed while staff checked the slide, with the president telling reporters they wanted to ensure "it's going to work perfectly." The incident adds to a string of concerns surrounding the controversial new jet, a gift from Qatar.

Trump said the check took around 15 minutes. As the delay unfolded, the older blue-and-white Air Force One was moved into position behind the new plane and had its own steps lowered as a precaution, while an inflatable slide unfurled from a front door not normally used for boarding. The White House gave no immediate explanation for the fault. The episode follows Trump abandoning the same aircraft in Turkey in July on Secret Service advice, when he was secretly transferred via a catering truck and flown onward to England on a smaller plane.