Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate is under pressure to apologise after telling a journalist to “f*** off” during a heated media conference.
Mayor Tate had faced intense questioning over an apparent meeting with Donald Trump at his Mar-a-lago resort in Florida in February.
The Mayor had claimed in a radio interview that he had dined with the US President, a claim that has since been disputed by both the White House and The Trump Organisation
A statement from the Trump Organisation described Tate’s recollection as a “complete fabrication”.
“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 said.
The Trump Organisation went on to say the President briefly said hello to the Mayor’s table before dining elsewhere.
But Tate was sticking by his recollection of the encounter and was backed up by business associate and real estate agent Roland Evans.
The Mayor was then pressed about the cost of his trip by a journalist from the ABC.
He had previously declared that the Trump Organisation had paid for his stay at Mar-a-lago before amending the register of interests to declare that the Mar-a-lago Club covered the costs, which Tate has since repaid.
Tate insisted that part of his trip was paid for privately.
After repeated questioning from the journalist, the Mayor had had enough.
“Why are you so aggressive? Are you from the ABC? Yeah, f*** off, I’ve had enough”, the Mayor said before storming off.
Deputy Mayor Mark Hammel was then forced to take over the media conference, condemning Tate’s outburst.
“That’s not appropriate behaviour in any circumstance. Appreciate the Mayor was worked up, but that’s not appropriate language. You’ve got a job to do as journalists to ask questions.”
