Trump targets 'failing' NYT reporters on his app after debunk of his helicopter story

Former President Donald Trump attacked the New York Times and two of its "failing" reporters on his app after the newspaper fact-checked a story he shared at a rally this week that he nearly died in a helicopter crash with former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown.

After news broke that Trump called the Times and threatened to sue the newspaper over its coverage of his rally, Trump posted on Truth Social moments before he was to take the stage at a rally in Bozeman, Montana.

"Two Failing New York Times 'reporters' questioned my story about a forced landing of a helicopter, in a field, with former Mayor of San Francisco, Willie Brown, and others," the MAGA leader wrote.

He then doubled down on the story.

"First of all, it was in New Jersey, not California, and it was Willie Brown, not former Governor Jerry Brown," he said. "So far they are about as accurate as they are with their other stories about me."

Trump's tirade then shifted to the newspaper's past coverage of him, including by reporter Maggie Haberman.

Read also: Morning Joe panel laughs its way through dismantling Trump's 'weird' helicopter tale

"At least when I became President, the NYT apologized to their readers for their REALLY BAD REPORTING ON THE PRESIDENTIAL RACE," he wrote. "They’ll probably have to do that again, much as Maggot Hagermann should apologize for her Fake & Fraudulent writing on the Russia, Russia, Russia HOAX, along with many other of her poorly written and badly researched stories. In an article dated April 15, 2011, 'His Willieness dishes about his good buddy Donald Trump. I remember one time Trump sent his private jet to Boston to pick me up. He’s just angling for another ride in Trump’s jet (helicopter!). But now Willie doesn’t remember? No, he remembers!"

In a separate post, Trump wrote: "In the FAKE NEWS story done by the Failing New York Times on Willie Brown and his little helicopter ride with me many years ago, there were 'Logs,' Maintenance Records, and Witnesses. There was also a story on 'Willie and Me.'"

He added: "Why can’t the Radical Left Failing New York Times write accurately, and fairly, on me - See following TRUTH! I only have one major goal in life, and that is to, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! Wouldn’t that be a good thing for the New York Times. Think of it, THEY COULD BE GREAT AGAIN!"

The rant was posted within hours of reports that he placed a call while his private Boeing 757, commonly nicknamed "Trump Force One," was grounded during an emergency landing in Billings.

Per Haberman, Trump "excoriated The Times for its coverage of his meandering news conference on Thursday at Mar-a-Lago, his private club and home, during which he told of an emergency landing during a helicopter trip that he said both he and Mr. Brown had made together," saying, “We have the flight records of the helicopter,” that it landed in "a field."

There is no publicly available evidence Trump was ever in a helicopter with Brown, who denies this ever happened, let alone that the helicopter nearly crashed.