Trump's Plane Returns to US Due to Electrical Issue

Donald Trump’s flight to Switzerland on Tuesday night was forced to return to the United States after Air Force One suffered what the White House described as a “minor electrical issue” shortly after take-off. The US president was en route to the World Economic Forum in Davos, where he is due to meet global political and business leaders amid strained relations with European allies. The modified Boeing 747-200B had been airborne for less than an hour when the crew identified the issue, prompting the aircraft to turn back to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, the White House said. The plane had been due to arrive in Zurich, from where the US president was scheduled to travel by helicopter to Davos, the mountain resort hosting the annual gathering of global political and business leaders. On board were senior members of the Trump administration, including secretary of state Marco Rubio, chief of staff Susie Wiles, adviser Stephen Miller, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, communications director Stephen Chung and chief of protocol Monica Crowley. The aircraft landed back in Maryland at 11.07pm local time (4.07am GMT), having departed at 9.40pm (2.40am GMT). White House officials said the decision to turn the flight back was taken “out of an abundance of caution”. Mr Trump and members of his entourage were expected to transfer to a replacement aircraft and continue their journey to Switzerland, she said. Joking with journalists on board, Ms Leavitt referred to Mr Trump’s controversial agreement to accept a luxury jet from Qatar to serve as Air Force One, remarking that the new aircraft sounded “much better” in light of the electrical problem. The delay is likely to affect the timing of Mr Trump’s address to the Davos summit on Wednesday, one of the most anticipated speeches of the gathering. The US president’s visit comes amid escalating tensions with European allies over Greenland. On Saturday, Mr Trump revealed plans to impose tariffs on a number of European countries, including the UK, that have refused to support his efforts to acquire the territory for the United States. Asked during a press conference on Tuesday how far he was willing to go to secure Greenland, Mr Trump told reporters: “You’ll find out.” He was also asked whether the potential breakup of Nato was a price he was prepared to pay for the territory. The US president replied that he believed “something’s going to happen that’s going to be very good for everybody”.