Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in a recent press conference recounted a story about nearly dying in a helicopter crash with former San Francisco mayor Willie Brown.
Trump claimed that during the incident, he and Brown thought it might be “the end” and that the landing was unpleasant, leaving Brown “a little concerned.” The former president also alleged that Brown had shared “terrible things” about Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
“I went down in a helicopter with him,” Trump said. “We thought maybe this is the end. We were in a helicopter going to a certain location together, and there was an emergency landing. This was not a pleasant landing, and Willie was, he was a little concerned,” he added.
However, Willie Brown, a longtime Democratic power broker who briefly dated Harris several decades ago, denied ever being in a helicopter with Trump. Brown told the San Francisco Chronicle, “You would have known if I had gone down on a helicopter with Trump.” He also refuted Trump’s claim that he had spoken negatively about Harris.
NBC News reports indicate that while president, Trump did tour fire-ravaged areas of California by helicopter in 2018, but he was accompanied by then-governor Jerry Brown, not Willie Brown. A representative for the former governor confirmed that there was no emergency landing during the flight and that Harris was not a topic of discussion, according to the New York Times.
Despite the contradictions, Trump maintained his stance on Truth Social, insisting that the helicopter ride had been with Willie Brown, not Jerry Brown and that it took place in New Jersey, not California.
He claimed the existence of “Logs,” maintenance records, and witnesses to support his story, but did not provide any evidence.
Trump also mentioned the possibility of suing the New York Times over its coverage of his comments, referring to reporter Maggie Haberman as “Maggot Hagermann.”
The current governor of California, Gavin Newsom, who was present during the 2018 flyover with Jerry Brown, dismissed Trump’s near-death experience claim, saying, “I call complete B.S.”