LogFAQs > #945816782

Other Presidents have used the lower deck hatch, because it has its own built-in airstair, which the main deck hatch does not have. This allows the President to disembark at a location that may not have adequate or safe facilities such as stair cars. This happened to Obama in 2016 on his visit to the Chinese city of Hangzhou when a stair car was not available, though some believe this was a deliberate snub by Beijing.

However, Trump was departing from Joint Base Andrews, which is the home base of the VC-25 fleet. They would most definitely have the necessary equipment for the President to board through the main hatch. There would literally be no need to enter through the lower deck. The only reasonable explanation is that there are a lot fewer steps to get inside, where he could rest out of the eyes of the cameras before climbing the interior staircase to the main deck.

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Minutus cantorum, minutus balorum,
Minutus carborata descendum pantorum.