Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate in Controversy Over Trump Dinner Claims

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate has found himself at the centre of controversy after swearing at a journalist and storming out of a press conference when questioned about his recent US visit.

Mayor Tate had claimed to have had dinner with US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump in February at Mar-a-Lago, the president's Florida holiday retreat. However, inconsistencies have emerged over whether the dinner actually took place, with the White House stating that the president and first lady "did not have dinner with that group".

At a press conference, a journalist questioned Mayor Tate about the bill for the reported meeting. When asked if he had had dinner with Mr Trump, Mayor Tate replied: "We all know that."

When pressed for further details on the length of the dinner, he said: "I've already answered yes, and the matter's private so I'm not going to elaborate much further than that."

A statement from The Trump Organization read: "Any suggestion that the president had dinner with Mayor Tate, or that he attended an event that was directly or indirectly connected to or associated with Mayor Tate or his event, is categorically false."

The statement continued: "While the president was on the patio, he briefly said hello to the mayor's table, as he typically does with guests at Mar-a-Lago."

Mayor Tate responded by saying, "All I'm telling you is what I believe is correct".

A business associate of Mayor Tate's corroborated his account of the dinner, telling local media that they were at Mar-a-Lago at the time.

However, when asked about the cost of the trip, Mayor Tate refused to comment, citing that it was "private". He then became agitated, asking if the reporter was from a certain media outlet.

In a heated outburst, Mayor Tate said: "F**k off, yeah f**k off, I've had enough of that," before storming away.