Donald Trump is coping with last month’s assassination attempt by fabricating other near-death experiences to reflect on. The failed airline mogul and Republican presidential nominee told the press on Thursday that he was nearly killed in a helicopter crash alongside Willie Brown, former San Francisco mayor and ex-boyfriend of Trump’s opponent Kamala Harris. However, Trump has never even flown on a helicopter with Willie Brown.
During a press conference at Mar-a-Lago, Trump was asked a leading question on whether Harris’ two-year relationship with Brown in the mid-1990s helped her career. It would be understandable to assume he’d simply answer yes, but he decided to swerve into a “woe-is-me” anecdote where he thought he was going to die. The New York Times reported:
“Well, I know Willie Brown very well,” Mr. Trump responded. “In fact, I went down in a helicopter with him.”
He went on to tell a cinematic tale of a close call with death — and of politically advantageous gossip on death’s door:
“We thought maybe this was the end,” Mr. Trump said. “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,” Mr. Trump continued. “So I know him, but I know him pretty well. I mean, I haven’t seen him in years. But he told me terrible things about her. But this is what you’re telling me, anyway, I guess. But he had a big part in what happened with Kamala. But he — he, I don’t know, maybe he’s changed his tune. But he — he was not a fan of hers very much, at that point.”
The former president seemingly conflated Willie Brown with former California governor Jerry Brown as if he had the current president’s cognitive ability. In 2018, Trump rode on a helicopter with Governor Brown to survey the Camp Fire’s damage. It was a normal helicopter flight with no emergency landing, according to the other passengers onboard including Brown and current California governor Gavin Newsom.
Newsom stated, “I call it complete B.S.” Salon reports. The current governor recalled that Trump even mentioned the possibility of crashing during the flight. Just to be clear, Trump also lied about Mayor Brown harboring bad feelings toward Harris. I wonder if he still wants to ban electric car sales now that Elon Musk is funding his campaign.