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A White House staff member looks back at Air Force One while boarding a replacement plane, also designated Air Force One, after making an unscheduled return landing due to an electrical problem identified mid-flight en route to Davos, Switzerland, at Joint Base Andrews, Md., on Jan. 20, 2026. Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
President Donald Trump’s plane headed back to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Jan. 20 shortly after departing for Davos, Switzerland, where he is scheduled to attend the World Economic Forum, according to the White House.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Air Force One had to turn back because of a “minor electrical issue,” adding that the president will switch to another aircraft as a precautionary measure.
Leavitt did not provide details about the electrical issue or what caused it.
The plane landed safely at Joint Base Andrews after turning back, and the president continued his trip on another aircraft just after midnight, more than two hours after the initial flight took off.
Trump is expected to address the World Economic Forum on Jan. 21. His address is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. local time (8:30 a.m. ET), followed by meetings with foreign leaders and a reception with business executives.
“I’m going to Davos. I believe it will be a very successful trip,” Trump told reporters before the flight issue occurred. “This will be an interesting trip. I have no idea what’s going to happen, but you are well represented.”
A similar air safety incident occurred in February last year, when an Air Force plane carrying Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Sen. Jim Risch to Germany for the Munich Security Conference had to turn back to Washington over a mechanical issue. Rubio subsequently continued his trip to Germany and the Middle East aboard a different aircraft.
This year will mark the 56th annual World Economic Forum and is expected to draw nearly 3,000 participants from 130 countries, including a record 65 heads of state and government.
The forum is taking place amid growing tensions between the United States and several European nations over Trump’s bid for the United States to acquire Greenland for national security reasons.
Trump had earlier announced that he would impose a 10 percent tariff on imports from several European nations next month in response to their opposition to the Greenland takeover bid. The tariff will increase to 25 percent on June 1, according to his post on Truth Social.
The tariff threat came after these NATO allies sent small contingents of military personnel to the island. Trump told reporters on Jan. 20 that he would have “a lot of meetings” in Davos focused on Greenland.
When asked about how far he was willing to go to acquire the territory, he responded, “You’ll find out.”
