‘My helicopter went down,’ Trump recounts scary crash that ‘never happened’

Republican presidential candidate and ex-US president Donald Trump in a press conference recounted his scary experience of nearly dying in an alleged helicopter crash, where he claimed he was travelling with former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown. Trump made these claims in response to a question about the relations between Brown and Democratic presidential hopeful and Vice President Kamala Harris.

“I know Willie Brown very well. In fact, I went down in a helicopter with him. We thought maybe this is the end. We were in a helicopter going to a certain location together, and there was an emergency landing,” Trump told reporters gathered at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

“This was not a pleasant landing, and Willie was, he was a little concerned. So I know him, I know him pretty well. I mean, I haven’t seen him in years,” Trump went on. "I went down in a helicopter with him. We thought maybe this is the end,” the ex-president claimed.

But his claims were soon rejected by the former mayor. Willie described Trump’s story as “obviously wrong”, saying, “I’ve never been in a helicopter with him in my life.”

When Trump’s campaign was asked for a response to Willie’s rejection of his story, a spokesperson responded by saying, “Slick Willie!”

Is Trump confused?

Meanwhile, areport by theTimeson Thursday (Aug 8) speculated Trump may have confused Willie with former California GovernorJerry Brown, with whom he toured wildfire damage by helicopter in November 2018. However, California GovernorGavin Newsom, who also toured the wildfires with Trump and Jerry Brown in a helicopter, claimed the helicopter never went down.

“I was on a helicopter with Jerry Brown and Trump, and it didn’t go down,” Newsom was quoted as saying by the Times.

But the former presidentagain asserted his story was true on Friday, saying he was not confusing Willie with Jerry.

“First of all, it was in New Jersey, not California, and it was Willie Brown, not former Governor Jerry Brown,” Trump said in a poston his Truth Social platform.

Amidst this,Former Los Angeles city councilman and California state Sen. Nate Holden claimed Friday that Trump could be mistaking him with Willie as it was actually him on the scary ride.

“Willie is the short Black guy living in San Francisco,” Holden said in an interview with Politico late Friday. “I’m a tall Black guy living in Los Angeles.”

“I guess we all look alike,” he added.

(With inputs from agencies)