Former President Donald Trump recently claimed that he nearly died in a helicopter landing with former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, but Brown says the incident never happened, per CNN.
On Thursday (August 8), Trump appeared at a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, where a reporter asked him about Vice President Kamala Harris' previous relationship with Brown. Harris has been attacked by right-wing figures as a "mistress" for her previous relationship with Brown, despite it being public and occurring after he was separated from his wife.
Trump claimed he knew Brown "very well" and recounted how he allegedly had a near-death experience with the former mayor.
“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 said Thursday. “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."
Later that day, Brown shut down Trump's claims, as "obviously wrong."
“I’ve never been in a helicopter with him in my life," Brown told CNN.
“He is trying his best to get some way to degrade Kamala,” the former mayor added of Trump. “There is no reason why her name ought to be mentioned anywhere near his lies, period.”
According to the New York Times, Trump confused Wille Brown with former California Governor Jerry Brown, who toured wildfire damage with Trump in a helicopter in November 2018.
A spokesperson for Jerry Brown said, “There was no emergency landing and no discussion of Kamala Harris.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who was also on the tour, said of Trump's claims “I call complete B.S."
“I was on a helicopter with Jerry Brown and Trump, and it didn’t go down,” Newsom told the Times.
During Thursday's news conference, Trump also claimed that Willie Brown was "not a fan" of Harris, citing that he had told him "terrible things" about the Democratic presidential nominee.
Brown said of Trump's allegation: “No. Why would I? Give me a break, please.”
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