Air Force One was en route to the World Economic Forum in Davos when the lights in the press cabin briefly went dark, a reporter said, per The Associated Press. A half-hour into the journey, the press was told the flight would be returning to Joint Base Andrews. The president later took a smaller version of Air Force One to Switzerland.
Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said the plane’s turnaround was out of an abundance of caution due to a “minor electrical issue.”
But she also attempted a bit of levity, saying on board that the Qatari jet was sounding “much better,” according to a press pool reporter.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) had a more colorful reaction.
“How is this gift not naked corruption?” he said.
The Qatari plane is being retrofitted for Air Force One duty and would reportedly be donated to Trump’s presidential library at the end of his presidency.
