Fact Check

Did Trump Say He Would Testify at Impeachment Trial if He Could Take Air Force One?

Some obvious jokes aren't so obvious.

Published Feb. 9, 2021

JOINT BASE ANDREWS, MARYLAND - JANUARY 20: President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump board Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews before boarding Air Force One for his last time as President on January 20, 2021 in Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. Trump, the first president in more than 150 years to refuse to attend his successor's inauguration, is expected to spend the final minutes of his presidency at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. (Photo by Pete Marovich - Pool/Getty Images) (Pete Marovich - Pool/Getty Images)
Image Via Pete Marovich - Pool/Getty Images
Claim:
Former U.S. President Donald Trump said that he would testify during his second impeachment trial if could to travel to Washington, D.C., on Air Force One.

On Feb. 9, 2021, as the second impeachment trial of former U.S. President Donald Trump started in the Senate, a statement ostensibly uttered by Trump about how he would only testify at the trial if he was allowed to take Air Force One to Washington, D.C., started circulating on social media:

This tweet reads: "BREAKING: President Trump requests use of Airforce One if forced to appear in Congress. "If they want to impeach me as President they'll have to let me travel as President."

This is not a genuine quote from Trump.

For one, this quote cannot be traced back to any news reports or videos of the former president. And if this were a genuine quote, it would certainly be headline news.

Secondly, the author of this tweet, @PAULUSV3, admitted that their tweet was just a joke:

Trump was impeached for a second time by the House of Representatives with a bipartisan vote on Jan. 13, 2021, a week after a pro-Trump mob stormed the U.S. Capitol. Trump, who was impeached on a charge of "incitement of insurrection," was invited to testify during his trial before the U.S. Senate by lead impeachment manager Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland.

Raskin said: "If you decline this invitation, we reserve any and all rights, including the right to establish at trial that your refusal to testify supports a strong adverse inference regarding your actions (and inaction) on January 6, 2021."

Jason Miller, a spokesperson for the former president, said Trump “will not testify in an unconstitutional proceeding.”

Dan Evon is a former writer for Snopes.