Donald Trump’s latest trip aboard Air Force One came with an unexpected delay.
The president has spent months brushing off chatter about his changing appearance.
But he seems fed up with the chatter, making his presidential entrance in another noticeably different look.
Video footage shows Trump at Joint Base Andrews on Sept. 9 with a different development.
For roughly 20 minutes, the president remained inside Marine One while crews wrestled with the jumbo jet’s unexpected inflatable accessory.
The POTUS’ dark blue suit jacket was already buttoned as he delayed his arrival for the Republican National Convention.
After weeks of public struggles with that stubborn little fastener, the button appeared to have finally won bipartisan support.
Trump walked toward reporters before boarding the Qatar-gifted Boeing 747-8 for a trip to Dallas, according to CBS News. He tugged at the sides of his jacket as he moved, but the coat stayed closed.
Threads users did not miss the change, pointing to the president’s tailoring almost as closely as his policies.
“Looks like he is now only wearing his new, darker, larger blue suits that he can actually button – that his … Number 2 Natalie got for him,” one person wrote. Another joked, “He looks like that time Homer Simpson put on a suit.”
“He sure tugs at his suit jacket a lot. Nope it’s not getting any looser!” a third person claimed. Many also acknowledged Trump’s habit of tapping his leg pat before descending down any stairs.
“Riveting! He used his right arm on the rail instead of his left. Did the usual suit jacket rig a couple times. Hair secured by spray so no cap needed. Did he release the files?” another asked.
Trump’s wardrobe wrestle delayed. The older Air Force One rolled up behind the Qatar-gifted plane and deployed its front and rear steps.
Trump downplayed the situation, telling reporters staff were testing the emergency slide to ensure it worked properly.
The wardrobe chatter did not begin with Wednesday’s departure.
In early August, footage from Trump’s trip through Morristown Municipal Airport showed him repeatedly pulling at the middle of his jacket as he walked. The button refused to cooperate.
On Aug. 16, cameras once again caught him trying again while leaving Bedminster, New Jersey. Trump attempted to pull the jacket closed twice. He eventually abandoned the mission and boarded Air Force One with it open.
Late August brought another round of scrutiny as critics compared his changing appearance with the 238-pound weight listed in his May physical. That represented a 14-pound increase from the 224 pounds listed in his April 2025 examination.
Then, during a Sept. 2 Rose Garden appearance, his noticeably longer jacket sparked theories that he had altered his tailoring.
After four separate rounds of button drama in roughly one month, Trump’s seemingly roomier look suggested somebody had finally called in reinforcements from the alterations department.
It is unclear whether the president actually changed his jacket size. Still, Wednesday’s securely buttoned jacket offered social media something new to inspect.
The president had plenty of time to get it situated. He sat aboard Marine One for nearly 30 minutes, waiting on the tarmac while chaos unfolded nearby.
An emergency evacuation slide had deployed from the right side of the new Air Force One, and the inflatable chute stretched all the way down to the ground.
Personnel scrambled to control the situation and remove it. Meanwhile, an older Air Force One idled close by, standing ready as a backup.
“Marine One arrived about 25 minutes ago, and Trump still hasn’t exited. This may be the reason,” one Threads user wrote.
Another observer noticed, “His shoes hate carrying all that weight around.”
Many wrote comments like “Serioulsly,” “That thing has a lot of trouble,” and “You can’t make this up.”
“Gee I can’t imagine why a gifted jet from Qatari would malfunction,” noted another person.
Trump said personnel were conducting a safety check.
“They want to make sure everything works perfectly,” he told reporters. When asked whether the aircraft was safe, he replied, “Yeah, I am, or I wouldn’t be on it.”
The slide was eventually removed and hauled away. The Qatar-gifted jet departed for the Republican midterm convention in Dallas without further trouble.
The luxury aircraft has remained controversial since Qatar offered it to the United States. Critics raised ethics, ownership, and national-security questions about accepting such an expensive gift from a foreign government.
The converted Boeing also requires extensive modifications and will undergo another round of security upgrades.
Trump ultimately reached Dallas with his controversial plane in the air and his jacket button still holding the line. On this departure, at least one high-pressure operation went exactly as tailored.
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