Former Los Angeles City Councilman and California State Senator Nate Holden was with the former president on Friday. Donald Trump Trump said the helicopter was flown by former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, but it made an emergency landing.
“Willie’s a short black guy who lives in San Francisco,” Holden said in an interview with Politico late Friday. “I’m a tall black guy who lives in Los Angeles.”
“I think we’re all alike,” he added.
Trump told reporters gathered at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Thursday that he and Brown were involved in the emergency helicopter landing. Brown later denied Trump’s account, calling it “patently false,” in a call with CNN. “I’ve never been in a helicopter with him in my life,” Brown said.
Thursday wasn’t the first time Trump has referenced the incident as part of his experience with Brown. In his book, “Letters to Mr. Trump,” Trump recalled the incident as “a little scary for both of us.” Trump campaign spokesman Steven Chang noted that in a post on X on Saturday.
According to Politico, Holden said he had been in contact with Trump’s team in the 1990s when the company was looking to build a building on the site of the former Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, the district Trump represented at the time.
Holden recalled meeting Trump at Trump Tower before departing for Atlantic City, New Jersey, where they were to tour Trump’s now-closed casino, the Taj Mahal. Also on board was Barbara Leth, Trump’s former vice president of construction, who told Politico she was certain the man aboard was Holden.
Ress detailed the experience in his book, “Alone on the 68th Floor,” saying the helicopter landed safely in New Jersey after the pilot said an emergency landing was necessary. Ress recalled Trump joking that Holden had been scared during the flight. Holden told Politico that Trump was the one who was “scared as hell.”
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