Donald Trump's Plane Diverted Ahead of Montana Rally: What We Know

Former President Donald Trump's airplane was diverted due to a "mechanical issue" while en route to a rally in Montana on Friday.

The former president was headed to Bozeman on "Trump Force One" when the snag forced the aircraft to make an unscheduled stop in Billings. Trump was expected to make his way to Bozeman on a different aircraft in time for the rally, where he is scheduled to speak at 8 p.m. local time.

"His plane had a mechanical issue and will be diverting into Billings, he will continue to Bozeman on a private jet," a Billings-Logan International Airport official told Newsweek.

The Context

"Trump Force One," a Boeing 757-200 that the former president uses for his personal travel and transportation to some campaign events, such as Friday's Montana rally, was built in 1991 and has been used by Trump for presidential campaign purposes since 2016.

Last month, after Trump announced Senator JD Vance as his running mate, a 737-800 to be used in the 2024 campaign was unveiled. The newer aircraft, now adorned with a "Trump/Vance" logo, first took flight in 2002.

Unlike the luxury interior of Trump's personal plane, the 737 has a no-frills all-economy interior and is expected to be used mostly by Vance and others associated with the campaign.

What We Know

The exact nature of the mechanical issue that forced Trump's plane to land roughly 140 miles east of its intended destination was unclear at the time of publication.

Trump's visit to Montana marks his first rally in a week that has seen the Democratic ticket of Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz make multiple campaign stops in swing states. Until Friday, the former president had remained home in South Florida, leaving the campaigning to Vance, who largely mirrored the Democrats.

A video of the former president inside the airplane apparently taken just after landing in Billings was shared by Trump campaign aide Margo Martin to X, formerly Twitter. Trump makes no mention of the diversion in the video and instead touts his trip and his 2024 campaign.

"I just landed in a really beautiful place, Montana," Trump says in the video. "You just look down and that's the way it's supposed to be. But we have a very high rating in Montana, we have a lot of popularity. I like them, they like me."

Trump goes on to falsely claim that he is "leading in all of the polls now," adding, "just about every poll has us leading now." Trump's polling position has significantly worsened since Harris entered the race, with the vice president now leading him in most recent national polls, averages of national polls and averages of critical "Rust Belt" swing states.

Views

While there was no indication that Trump was in any danger due to the diverted flight, supporters of the former president suggested that he had survived dire circumstances and urged others to "pray" for him on social media. Some pushed evidence-free conspiracy theories claiming that the diversion was part of a new attempt to assassinate Trump.

"Pray," pro-Trump activist Jack Posobiec wrote on X.

"Pray for President Trump," @BlazsikJames wrote while sharing the video from Martin. "His plane had to make an emergency landing in Montana for a rally. He made this video after the landing."

"Less than 30 days after the attempted assassination on Donald Trump, his plane has to make an emergency landing in Montana due to a mechanical failure...." wrote @ElenaCardone. "Coincidence? I think NOT."

What's Next

A security sweep of the Billings airport was conducted before Trump boarded a new jet on the way to Bozeman, where he was still expected to speak at 8 p.m. The former president said that he also planned to participate in Republican fundraising events while in Montana, home to a key U.S. Senate race as Republican Tim Sheehy battles Democratic Senator Jon Tester.

Trump is also scheduled to participate in at least one debate with Harris, on September 10, with the presidential election set for November 5.