By James Oliphant
(Reuters) – Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Friday insisted he was with former San Francisco Mayor Willie in a fantastical story of almost dying in a helicopter crash, regardless of Brown denying the incident ever occurred.
Throughout a press convention on Thursday on quite a lot of matters, Trump associated a story of just about taking place in a helicopter with Willie Brown, who briefly dated Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris a number of many years in the past.
“I went down in a helicopter with him,” Trump mentioned. “We thought possibly that is the top. We had been in a helicopter going to a sure location collectively, and there was an emergency touchdown. This was not a pleasing touchdown, and Willie was, he was just a little involved.”
Trump additionally asserted Willie Brown advised him “horrible issues” about Harris.
Brown, a longtime Democratic energy dealer who additionally served as speaker of the California State Meeting, advised the San Francisco Chronicle after Trump’s press convention that he was by no means in a helicopter with the previous president.
“You’d have recognized if I had gone down on a helicopter with Trump,” he advised the newspaper. He additionally denied that he had ever mentioned something disparaging about Harris to Trump.
Whereas president, Trump toured fire-ravaged parts of California in 2018 by helicopter with then-California Governor Jerry Brown, NBC Information reported. A consultant for former Governor Brown advised the New York Instances there was no emergency touchdown and Harris by no means was mentioned through the flight.
Republicans have insinuated that Brown is partially accountable for Harris’ rise in politics though, the 2 broke up within the mid-Nineteen Nineties and Harris didn’t win her first election till 2002. Whereas the 2 had been courting, Brown appointed Harris, then a younger prosecutor, to 2 well-paying jobs on state boards.
On Friday, Trump dug in, insisting in posts on his Reality Social platform that his helicopter journey had been with Willie Brown, who’s Black, not Jerry Brown, who’s White, and that it has occurred in New Jersey, not California.
“There have been “Logs,” Upkeep Information, and Witnesses. There was additionally a narrative on “Willie and Me,” Trump mentioned.
He didn’t present any of the proof he referred to within the put up. The Trump marketing campaign didn’t instantly reply to a request to share the proof Trump talked about.
Trump additionally mentioned he would “in all probability” sue the New York Instances over its protection of his feedback on the helicopter story, in keeping with a Instances story on Friday. Trump disparaged the newspaper on Reality Social, attacking its reporter Maggie Haberman as “Maggot Hagermann.”
The Instances didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark. The Harris marketing campaign didn’t instantly reply to a request for touch upon Friday concerning the obvious mix-up.
The present governor of California, Gavin Newsom, who was a passenger on the 2018 flyover with Jerry Brown, additionally mentioned Trump’s near-death expertise by no means occurred.
“I name full B.S.,” he advised the Instances.
When 81-year-old President Joe Biden was nonetheless the Democratic candidate within the Nov. 5 election, Trump, 78, often mocked his opponent’s psychological acuity and supplied to take a cognitive take a look at, arguing Biden was too infirm to be president.
Biden has since been changed atop the ticket by the 59-year-old Harris, forcing Trump to scramble to search out new strains of assault.