Trump reportedly confuses former SF Mayor Willie Brown with Jerry Brown
OAKLAND, Calif. - Former President Donald Trump held a more than one-hour news conference on Thursday at his Mar-A-Lago property in Florida.
The GOP nominee in the 2024 election challenged his opponent in the race, Vice President Kamala Harris, to three debates. But in a curious moment, he invoked the name of former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown.
"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. 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. But he told me terrible things about her," said Trump.
Trump went on to say, "But he…he had a big part in what happened with Kamala, but 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."
Former Mayor, Willie Brown, right, laughs it up with District Attorney, Kamala Harris at the reception before rededication ceremony(Photo By Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)
Brown, a democrat, served as San Francisco's mayor from 1996 to 2004. Harris became San Francisco's first woman district attorney, first African American woman and first South Asian American woman in California to hold that office in 2004.
KTVU reached out to former Mayor Brown, who simply said of Trump's anecdote, ""That never happened. Not a reality." In 1997, the two appeared together on an episode of the sitcom ‘Suddenly Susan'.
A New York Times report suggests the person Trump was referring to was actually former Governor Jerry Brown and that then-Lieutenant Gov. Gavin Newsom was also on that 2018 helicopter flight. The three were assessing wildfire damage in the decimated town of Paradise when Trump was president.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 11: Former California Gov. Jerry Brown speaks during the American Geophysical Union Conference on December 11, 2019 in San Francisco, California. Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg is campaigning
KTVU reached out to former Gov. Brown, but did not hear back. However, the Times said Brown's spokesperson said there was no emergency landing and that discussion of Harris did not come up.
Newsom told the paper the helicopter "didn't go down," and neither did discussion of Harris during this ride. He said Trump kept on bringing up the possibility of crashing.
Before President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race, the GOP used the octogenarian's age against him. Trump dubbed him ‘Sleepy Joe’. Biden's gaffes were heavily reported and scrutinized. Trump is 78 years old. If elected to a second term, he would be 82 years old at the end of his presidency.
SUDDENLY SUSAN -- "Ill See that and Raise you Susan" Episode 22 -- Aired 05/08/1997 -- Pictured: (l-r) Donald Trump as Himself, Willie Brown as Mayor Willie Brown -- Photo by: Gary Null/NBCU Photo Bank
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