Donald Trump made a mistake that left many puzzled when he recounted a helicopter ride incident involving a Black politician that never actually took place. It turned out that Trump had mixed up two different politicians and helicopter rides from two separate decades. The real incident occurred in 1990 when Trump nearly had a fatal helicopter ride alongside Nate Holden, a Los Angeles city council member. Despite Trump’s claims, it was not former San Francisco mayor Willie Brown who was involved.
Holden had visited Trump at Trump Tower when the real estate mogul acquired the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles with plans to demolish it and construct a skyscraper. During the visit, they toured the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, which required a helicopter flight from Manhattan to the resort. Barbara Res, a former Trump executive who was also on the helicopter ride, recalled the incident. She mentioned that the man on the helicopter was indeed Nate Holden and not Willie Brown. The pilots had to make an emergency landing due to lost instruments, causing considerable turbulence.
After the incident, Holden confirmed that Trump was terrified during the emergency landing. The conversation did not involve Kamala Harris, who was a deputy district attorney at the time. Trump’s plans for the Ambassador Hotel did not materialize, and the historic building was eventually demolished in 2005. The site was later used to build public schools named after Robert F. Kennedy, who was assassinated at the Ambassador Hotel in 1968.
The confusion caused by Trump’s mix-up of the politicians and helicopter rides highlights the importance of accurate recollection and attention to detail, especially when recounting past events. This incident serves as a reminder of the need for clarity and precision in sharing information, particularly in public statements and narratives. It also underscores the significance of fact-checking and verifying sources to ensure the accuracy of historical anecdotes and personal accounts.
In conclusion, the incident involving Donald Trump’s confusion regarding the Black politician on a helicopter ride sheds light on the potential pitfalls of misremembering details and mixing up individuals in past events. It underscores the importance of accuracy and precision in storytelling and the value of thorough research and fact-checking to maintain credibility and authenticity in narratives.