Air Force One encountered strong turbulence while crossing the Atlantic coast on Sunday, 11 January, as US President Donald Trump flew back to Washington from Mar-a-Lago, which serves as his primary residence and a presidential retreat.
Amid the bumpy ride, Trump made an unusual joke regarding White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
“I’m going to grab here, because it’s going to get rough,” Trump said, reaching for a seat handle. “I’m looking for something to grab, and it’s not going to be Karoline.”
The remark is the latest in a series of unconventional comments Trump has made about Leavitt, whom he has previously praised for having “lips that move like a machine gun.”
Meanwhile, Trump’s motorcade in Florida took a different route than usual to the airport as he was departing the state on Sunday due to a “suspicious object”, according to Associated Press (AP).
The White House said the object was found during routine security sweeps ahead of Trump’s arrival at Palm Beach International Airport, without providing further details.
“A further investigation was warranted, and the presidential motorcade route was adjusted accordingly,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement on Sunday.
When asked about the package, the president said, “I know nothing about it.”
Trump departed his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, at around 6:20 pm for the approximately 10-minute drive to the airport, but his motorcade took a longer, circuitous route through the city.
As the convoy moved, motorcycle police officers formed a rolling security perimeter, narrowly avoiding a collision with the vans traveling alongside Trump at one point.
Air Force One was positioned on a different side of the airport than usual, with the exterior lights near the aircraft switched off.
US Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said the alternate route was taken purely as a precaution, adding that “that is standard protocol”.
(With inputs from news agency AP)
