Trump was ‘scared shitless’ as the helicopter lurched — but he wasn’t riding with Willie Brown
On that ride [in 1990], [Barbara Res, Trump’s former executive vice president of construction and development] said the pilots started feverishly maneuvering the equipment as the chopper lurched over the water. “From 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,” Res wrote in her book. Donald Trump and Robert Trump were reassuring [Nate] Holden [a former city councilman and state senator from Los Angeles].
“Very shortly thereafter the pilot let us know he had lost some instruments and we would need to make an emergency landing,” she wrote. “By now, the helicopter was shaking like crazy.”
After considerable turbulence, they landed safely in New Jersey at an airport where Trump had his commuter helicopters stored.
Within an hour, they were in Atlantic City. Holden and Res had a nice lunch at the [brand new Taj Mahal] casino courtesy of Trump and went back to New York. “We may not have gotten much business done, but it sure as hell was memorable,” she wrote.
Over the phone Friday, Res said Trump liked to tell a joke about Holden on the helicopter — “you turned white,” he said. But she said it was Trump’s face that was white.
“He was white as snow,” Holden added. “And he was scared shitless.” [Continue reading…]