In a surprising turn of events, President Donald Trump’s flight to Davos for the World Economic Forum was abruptly forced to return to Joint Base Andrews near Washington, D.C. due to a “minor electrical issue” on Air Force One.
The U.S. president and his entourage were set to attend critical talks with European leaders over the future of Greenland, a semi-autonomous Danish territory that Trump has expressed interest in acquiring. However, shortly after takeoff, the flight crew identified the electrical problem, prompting the pilot to make the decision to head back to base as a precautionary measure.
According to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, the return was made out of an abundance of caution. A reporter on board the aircraft reported that the lights in the press cabin briefly went out, but no further details were provided.
Trump and the other passengers will now be split up into two smaller planes to continue their journey to Davos, where the president was expected to face a tense meeting with European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, over his pursuit of Greenland.
Prior to his departure, Trump had boasted on social media that “America will be well represented in Davos – by me.” He also revealed during a 90-minute press conference that he had “a lot of meetings scheduled on Greenland” during the trip, and ominously stated that European leaders “will find out” how far he is willing to go to acquire the territory, refusing to rule out the use of military force.
This incident comes amid growing tensions between the U.S. and its European allies over Trump’s aggressive stance on Greenland. Macron has called for an emergency meeting in Paris to address the issue, but Trump has said he will not attend, in part because he believes Macron’s leadership of France will soon come to an end.
While air safety incidents involving the U.S. president and other high-ranking officials are rare, they are not unprecedented. Past issues have included mechanical problems, bird strikes, and weather-related aborted landings. The two specialized Boeing 747-8 aircraft currently used as Air Force One have been in service for nearly four decades, and the replacement program has faced a series of delays.
