Who besides a deranged individual would concoct a narrative about being in a scary helicopter emergency touchdown with a man who wasn’t even there?
If not deranged, that individual is at the least delusional.
Perhaps confused, however that’s simply as worrisome. What rational thoughts can’t bear in mind the small print of plummeting from the sky and going through doable demise in a chopper?
I used to be driving in a helicopter that was pressured to make an emergency touchdown 58 years in the past and nonetheless bear in mind each element, together with the opposite passenger.
Political author Peter Kaye of the San Diego Union and I have been masking Gov. Pat Brown’s final 1966 marketing campaign swing in Los Angeles when our chopper misplaced energy and nearly smacked into an house constructing. A sound individual doesn’t neglect specifics of such a daunting enterprise.
Extra possible within the above case, it was simply one other instance of Donald Trump’s perpetual, pathological mendacity.
And it was clearly bizarre, to make use of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s favourite description of the previous president, who once more is the Republican nominee for chief of the free world.
Whatever the root trigger, even the 78-year-old Trump’s most loyal lemmings ought to significantly marvel about his psychological health to once more function America’s president — its commander in chief with entry to nuclear codes and our negotiator with international leaders, allies and adversaries alike.
In deep blue California, there’s no proof that Trump’s continued weird habits is eroding his help, resembling it’s. However undecided voters have been shifting to the Democratic ticket of Vice President Kamala Harris and working mate Walz.
Harris leads Trump by 59% to 34%, with Harris working 7 share factors larger than President Biden did in late February, in keeping with a brand new state survey by UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Research. Trump’s vote hasn’t modified.
Trump’s inaccurate yarn about nearly crashing in a helicopter with former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown whereas Brown was telling “horrible issues” about Harris was simply nutty.
NPR counted 162 “lies and distortions” by the previous president in his Q&A.
Former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown speaks outdoors John’s Grill in San Franciscoin 2023.
(Eric Risberg / Related Press)
Trump’s fabrication that bought probably the most consideration, after all, was this spiel:
“Effectively, I do know Willie Brown very properly. In truth, I went down in a helicopter with him. We thought perhaps that is the tip. We have been in a helicopter going to a sure location collectively and there was an emergency touchdown.
“This was not a nice touchdown. And Willie was — he was slightly involved. So I do know him. I do know him fairly properly. I imply, I haven’t seen him in years. However he instructed me horrible issues about [Harris]. He was not a fan of hers very a lot at that time.”
First , this confirmed Trump’s stupidity. He didn’t understand — or maybe didn’t care — that reporters would instantly name Brown, 90, who debunked the complete story.
To begin with, Trump doesn’t know Brown “very properly.” In truth, he barely is aware of him in any respect. They’ve talked solely as soon as of their lives, Brown instructed me, and that was 30 years in the past at a New York lunch the place Trump sought the then-state Meeting speaker’s recommendation on attempting to develop the outdated Ambassador Resort web site in Los Angeles. The undertaking collapsed.
Brown says he has by no means been in a helicopter with Trump.
Most significantly, anybody who actually is aware of Brown is aware of he would by no means badmouth Harris.
The 2 dated for a yr or two within the mid-Nineties and Brown helped launch her political profession, beginning with San Francisco district lawyer. The 2 stay pleasant. And on the high of Brown’s values checklist is loyalty to pals and allies.
“Noooooo,” Brown replied once I requested whether or not he had ever talked to Trump about Harris. “Hell, no. Under no circumstances.”
“He’s in whole panicsville,” he stated of Trump. “You may’t attribute something that equates to logic to him.”
What I see is a slumping candidate so determined that he invented Brown’s chopper dialog to take a swipe at Harris.
Brown is a Black man and Trump did go down in an emergency helicopter touchdown with one other Black California politician within the Nineties.
Nate Holden, a former L.A. Metropolis Council member and state legislator, additionally was invited to New York — individually from Brown — to debate the Ambassador undertaking with Trump.
“Willie is the brief Black man dwelling in San Francisco,” Holden stated. “I’m the tall Black man dwelling in Los Angeles.”
“As they are saying, all of us look the identical,” Holden, 95, instructed Instances reporter Don Lee, laughing.
Trump incredulously continued to insist it was Brown aboard the crippled chopper and claimed he had upkeep information and logs to show it. However they’ve by no means been produced.
Barbara Res, as soon as a high Trump government, was additionally on that flight. She primarily confirmed Holden’s account in a 2013 guide, “All Alone on the 68th Flooring.”
“That’s the story, OK,” Res instructed Politico. “No Willie Brown.”
Holden stated Trump “both blended it up or he made it up.”
Perhaps slightly of each. He actually made up Brown’s bashing of Harris.
His unhinged sample of loony habits ought to scare America.
And the puzzling query is why the once-formidable California GOP retains following this unstable character right into a sump.
