Trump’s Air Force One abruptly returned to Washington roughly an hour after departing for Davos due to a reported “minor electrical issue,” which briefly caused cabin lights to go out. The plane landed safely at Joint Base Andrews, and Trump is scheduled to continue to Switzerland on a different aircraft. White House officials stressed the move was purely precautionary, with Press Secretary Leavitt joking that a Qatari-donated jet “sounded much better right now.” The incident occurred just hours after Trump threatened Iran, warning the country would be “wiped off the face of the earth” if it attempted to target him, fueling speculation amid rising US-Iran tensions despite no evidence of foul play.
00:00Trump's Air Force One takes off to Davos, crosses the Atlantic, then suddenly it turns around.
00:25No emergency landing, no public alarm, just a quiet U-turn back to Washington, D.C.
00:32And it happens hours after Donald Trump threatens to wipe Iran off the face of the earth.
00:38Coincidence or something more?
00:41Tuesday night, President Donald Trump departed Washington aboard Air Force One, headed for the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
00:49About an hour into the flight, the plane abruptly turned back.
00:53According to the White House, the crew identified a minor electrical issue shortly after takeoff and made the decision to return out of an abundance of caution.
01:03Reporters on board say the lights in the press cabin briefly went out.
01:07Thirty minutes later, they were told, we're heading back.
01:11Air Force One officially touched down at Joint Base Andrews.
01:15The plane began offloading immediately.
01:17Trump will now fly to Davos on another aircraft.
01:20White House Press Secretary Carolyn Levitt tried to lighten the moment, joking that the Qatari jet donated to the U.S. last year was sounding much better right now.
01:31This scare comes at a tense moment.
01:33Just hours earlier, Trump issued one of his strongest warnings ever toward Iran.
01:39He said if Iran tried to assassinate him, the response would be total destruction.
01:43Iran would be wiped off the face of the earth, Trump said.
01:48And he went even further, warning Iran not to violently crush protesters inside the country, adding,
01:55anything ever happens, the whole country is going to get blown up.
01:58He said he's already issued very firm instructions.
02:02To be clear, there is no evidence that Iran had anything to do with the Air Force One issue.
02:07But the timing has raised eyebrows.
02:10A presidential aircraft packed with classified systems suddenly experiencing an electrical glitch just as tensions with Iran hit a boiling point?
02:20Was it just aging equipment?
02:22Or a reminder of how vulnerable even the most protected plane on earth can be?
02:27The current Air Force One planes have been flying for nearly 40 years.
02:32Trump has long criticized Boeing over delays in delivering replacements.
02:36Last year, Qatar gifted Trump a luxury 747-8 to be converted into Air Force One,
02:43a move that sparked massive ethical, constitutional, and security concerns.
02:49That jet is still being retrofitted.
02:51For now, Trump flies on aircraft built during the Cold War.
02:55So was this just a routine precaution or a chilling coincidence at a dangerous moment in global politics?
03:02With threats flying, protests raging, and tensions rising with Iran, one thing is certain.
03:08Even Air Force One isn't immune to uncertainty.
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