Donald Trump told us a fairy tale about an emergency helicopter landing with Willie Brown

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In his August 8, 2024 press conference Donald Trump told us a fairy tale about an emergency landing of a helicopter. It might as well have started with the classic phrase Once Upon A Time. But he didn’t say when it happened (day, month, or year), or tell us where that helicopter was going, or everyone who was on it. An article by Domenico Montanaro at npr on August 11, 2024 titled 162 Lies and distortions in a news conference. NPR fact-checks former President Trump listed it at Number 130, which was:

 

“Well, 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.”

 

But Willie Brown wasn’t on that flight – Nate Holden was. Another article by Don Lee in the Los Angeles Times on August 10, 2024 is titled Willie Brown wasn’t on that frightening helicopter ride with Trump. Here’s who was. Yet another article by Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling at The New Republic on August 13, 2024 titled Trump mixed up two black politicians in weird helicopter story also provided information from another passenger, Barbara Res.

 

“Trump’s former executive vice president of construction and development Barbara Res was also on the terrifying flight, and recalled the white-knuckle encounter in her 2013 book, All Alone on the 68th Floor. She confirmed that Trump, his brother Robert, and Holden were all on board the aircraft as it lost control of some of its instruments and was forced to make an emergency landing in a New Jersey airport.”

 

Still another article by Maria Ramirez Uribe at Politifact on August 9, 2024 titled Trump’s unproven story about Willie Brown and a harrowing emergency helicopter landing said that Trump had told the same story in his 2023 coffee-table picture book, Letters to Trump:  

 

“ ‘I knew Willie Brown a long time ago,’ Trump wrote. ‘He was a hot politician and had a great ‘way.’ ’ We actually had an emergency landing in a helicopter together. It was a little scary for both of us, but thankfully we made it. His time with Kamala in retrospect turned out to be very interesting – but only he can tell that story.”

 

There also is a six-and-a-half minute YouTube video from CNN on August 13, 2024 titled Other passengers contradict Trump’s account of scary chopper ride. And even another article by Rachel Dobkin at Newsweek on August 11, 2024 titled Donald Trump’s helicopter claim raises questions from critics added in summary:

 

“Brian Krassenstein, who gained popularity on social media after trolling Trump on X, formerly Twitter, during his presidency, wrote on X on Saturday morning: ‘Donald Trump recently made a claim about an emergency helicopter landing involving him and Willie Brown, which is either a blatant lie or a clear case of mistaken identity (confusing 2 black men).'

 

He continued: ‘The real issue here is Trump’s refusal to admit a mistake. Instead of acknowledging the error, he’s doubled down on the falsehood, which highlights a concerning pattern … this behavior should alarm voters because a leader who cannot admit fault is likely to repeat mistakes – and in this case, he’s doing so over something trivial yet insists on misleading the public.’ “   

 

The image of a helicopter was modified from one at Wikimedia Commons.