TERROR IN D.C.

Trump Slapped With Demands Over ‘Disgraceful’ Halloween Stunt

An unexpected Air Force One White House flyover sparked alarm.

Officials in Washington, D.C., are demanding answers from aviation authorities after a startlingly low flyover by a U.S. military aircraft during Donald Trump’s White House Halloween party spread panic.

Sen. Tammy Duckworth, an Illinois Democrat, said in a letter to the Federal Aviation Administration Monday that the Oct. 29 flyover by the giant Boeing 747 gifted to the president by Qatar, which becomes Air Force One when a president is on board, was presumably paid for with taxpayer dollars.

SCARE FORCE ONE

Trump’s Ghastly Halloween Surprise Backfires Spectacularly

Cameron Adams

“A serious President would be bringing costs down. This one is busy showing off his toys, putting on full display how wildly out of touch he is with the needs of the American people,” said Duckworth, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Subcommittee on Aviation, Space, and Innovation.

Play Video

An FAA spokesperson told the Daily Beast that the flyover had been coordinated with the agency. The agency told The Washington Post that flights were temporarily paused at Reagan International Airport while it took place.

The flyover was conducted during Trump’s Thursday Halloween party on the South Lawn of the White House. The retrofitted Boeing 747 swooped low over the Washington Monument and White House as Trump waved and smiled alongside first lady Melania Trump.

According to flight data obtained by the post, the plane flew as low as 400 feet above the monuments and passed over the White House twice. Federal regulations say that planes can fly no lower than 1,000 feet above monuments in the capital.

The flyover caused panic among some residents of the District of Columbia, which was targeted in an airliner attack on the Pentagon on 9/11, killing 184 people. ​“This flyover provided just fifteen minutes’ notice to anyone in downtown DC, at the Pentagon, or at National Airport. It startled many, including us,” a spokesperson for the D.C. Council, the district’s 13-member legislature, wrote on X.

A statement alerting residents of the flyover was sent at 5:24 p.m. local time by the Alert DC account on X.

Duckworth, in her letter, said some residents were so shocked they called 911.

In a clip shared by the White House’s social media account, children attending the Halloween event can be seen gazing skyward as the plane soars overhead.

Trump has long been fond of extravagant aerial displays, with celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of America’s founding on July 4 featuring a huge seven-hour aerial spectacle with dozens of aircraft.

However, the ear-splitting decibels of a flyover at Joint Base Andrews during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit in September appeared to take the president by surprise, and he was pictured wincing.

See more of our coverage in your search results.

ADD THE DAILY BEAST ON GOOGLE

Tom PorterBreaking News Reporter

Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.