Air Force One is one of the most recognized aircraft in the world.  It ferries the President of the United States from state-to-state and all over the globe.  And when the president lands, he is usually greeted by leaders of that state or country.  However, it’s not always the person in charge of the country.

That’s a point presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump made during a speech in Washington recently.

He said, “when President Obama landed in Cuba on Air Force One, no leader was there, nobody, to greet him… perhaps an incident without precedent in the long and prestigious history of Air Force One.”

PolitiFact Florida heard the claim and gave it a HALF TRUE rating on the Truth-O-Meter.

PolitiFact Writer Josh Gillin said neither Fidel nor Raul Castro met President Obama when he arrived.  In fact, it was the foreign minister.

“We couldn’t look at every single foreign visit, but although we know Obama did go to the Castros’ house and there was a big state dinner and a big welcoming ceremony," he said. "It sounded a lot like when Nixon went to China and he was met at the airport by their foreign minister."

For that reason, Trump’s statement received a HALF TRUE rating.

SOURCES:  No Cuban leader met POTUS, Trump says