1989 over Forked River, New Jersey<\/a>. <\/p>\nBut Holden says Trump told him they were in good hands, noting that he had two capable pilots. \u201cHe tells me to \u2018look at the sky,\u2019\u201d Holden said. \u201c\u2018Oh my God, it\u2019s so beautiful.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Also aboard was Trump\u2019s late brother, Robert, the attorney Harvey Freedman and Barbara Res, Trump\u2019s former executive vice president of construction and development. Res told POLITICO on Friday that she also remembers the ride well. In fact, she said she wrote about it in her book, \u201cAll Alone on the 68th Floor.\u201d<\/p>\n
Res remembers Brown, too. He took a liking to her, and she brought him a hat from the superyacht the Trump Princess, which she says he loved. But the man on the helicopter was definitely Nate Holden, she said.<\/p>\n
On that ride, she said the pilots started feverishly maneuvering the equipment as the chopper lurched over the water. \u201cFrom the corner of my eye, I can see in the cockpit and what I see is the co-pilot pumping a device with all his might,\u201d Res wrote in her book. Donald Trump and Robert Trump were reassuring Holden.<\/p>\n
\u201cVery shortly thereafter the pilot let us know he had lost some instruments and we would need to make an emergency landing,\u201d she wrote. \u201cBy now, the helicopter was shaking like crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n
After considerable turbulence, they landed safely in New Jersey at an airport where Trump had his commuter helicopters stored.<\/p>\n
Within an hour, they were in Atlantic City. Holden and Res had a nice lunch at the casino courtesy of Trump and went back to New York. \u201cWe may not have gotten much business done, but it sure as hell was memorable,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n
Over the phone Friday, Res said Trump liked to tell a joke about Holden on the helicopter \u2014 \u201cyou turned white,\u201d he said. But she said it was Trump\u2019s face that was white.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was white as snow,\u201d Holden added. \u201cAnd he was scared shitless.\u201d<\/p>\n
When asked for comment, a Trump campaign spokesperson just referred to a paragraph in a New York Times article about the incident.<\/p>\n
“[Trump] has also told the helicopter story before, in his 2023 book, ‘Letters to Trump,’ in which he published letters to him from a number of people, including Mr. Brown. In the book, Mr. Trump wrote, ‘We actually had an emergency landing in a helicopter together. It was a little scary for both of us, but thankfully we made it.'”<\/p>\n
Res and Holden spoke on the phone Friday night. They sometimes reminisce about the Ambassador project that could have been.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the story, OK,\u201d Res said. \u201cNo Willie Brown.\u201d<\/p>\n
Holden also connected with Brown on Thursday. \u201cI said, \u2018Willie, were you almost in a helicopter crash with Trump also?\u2019 He said \u2018No.\u2019 I said, \u2018I was the one, Willie.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Before he hung up with POLITICO, Holden assured a reporter that nobody discussed \u2014 let alone criticized \u2014 Kamala Harris as Trump claimed Brown did.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe either mixed it up,\u201d Holden said. \u201cOr, he made it up. This was just too big to overlook. This is a big one. Conflating Willie Brown and me? The press is searching for the real story and they didn\u2019t get it. You did.\u201d<\/p>\n