In a recent press conference at Mar-a-Lago, former President Donald Trump claimed that he had once been involved in a dramatic helicopter emergency landing with former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown. Trump made the assertion while discussing Vice President Kamala Harris and her past relationship with Brown, suggesting that the incident reflected on their connection.
“I know Willie Brown very well. In fact, I went down in a helicopter with him,” Trump told reporters. He described the landing as “not pleasant” and said that Brown was “a little concerned” during the incident.
However, Brown has firmly denied Trump’s account. In a statement to CNN, Brown called the story “obviously wrong” and stated, “I’ve never been in a helicopter with him in my life.” He accused Trump of fabricating the story to undermine Harris. “There is no reason why her name ought to be mentioned anywhere near his lies, period,” Brown added.
The New York Times later reported that Trump may have confused Willie Brown with former California Governor Jerry Brown. According to the Times, Trump and Jerry Brown did take a helicopter tour of wildfire damage in November 2018, but there was no emergency landing involved.
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Jerry Brown’s spokesperson confirmed that “there was no emergency landing and no discussion of Kamala Harris” during the trip.
California Governor Gavin Newsom, who also participated in the 2018 wildfire tour, refuted Trump’s claims, telling the Times, “I call complete B.S.” Newsom, who was present during the helicopter ride, affirmed that there were no issues with the flight and that Trump had been unusually fixated on the idea of a potential crash.
Trump’s attempt to link Willie Brown to his criticisms of Kamala Harris follows a pattern of attacks by right-wing media, which have previously targeted Harris over her past relationship with Brown.
When asked for comment on Brown’s denial, Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung responded cryptically with “Slick Willie!”
