On Friday, August 9th, former US President and Republican presidential candidate for 2024, Donald Trump, encountered a plane malfunction on his way to attend a rally in Montana. He had to reroute and later arrived at his destination by another plane.
Executive Assistant Jenny Mockel of Billings Logan International Airport confirmed in a statement to the Associated Press that Trump was scheduled to hold a campaign rally in Bozeman, Montana on Friday evening. However, due to a mechanical issue during the flight, his plane had to divert to the airport on the other side of the Rocky Mountains.
Mockel stated that Trump’s plane “landed safely,” and the former president subsequently boarded another private plane to fly westward to Bozeman, which is 142 miles away.
Specific details about the mechanical issue are not yet clear.
The US Secret Service stated that the plane’s mechanical problem was unrelated to any security issues concerning the former president’s protection.
Margo Martin, Deputy Communications Director for Trump’s campaign team, shared a video on the social media X platform showing Trump on the plane.
In the video, Trump said, “I just landed in a very beautiful place, Montana. The place we flew over was so beautiful, just look down, it should be like this.”
Trump did not specifically mention any issues related to the plane malfunction in the video.
Trump’s campaign rally is scheduled to start at 8 p.m. local time (10 p.m. Eastern Time), and his supporters lined up hours in advance to ensure they could secure a spot.
Montana is a state with a strong Republican advantage, and Trump’s rally will also provide support for Republican Senate candidate Tim Sheehy, who is aiming to defeat incumbent Senator Jon Tester. Tester, a Democrat, is seeking his fourth term in the US Senate.