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A Queensland mayor stuck by his claim he had dinner with the US President despite the Trump organisation saying it was a “fabrication”, with the Gold Coast civic leader telling a journalist to “f— off” during a brief but heated press conference.
Mayor Tom Tate travelled to Mar-a-Lago in February to witness the signing of an ill-fated deal for a Trump Tower in Surfers Paradise, backed by the company of formerly bankrupt developer David Young.
Tate later told media he had dinner with the US President, as well as his son Eric and daughter-in-law Lara, and remarked that the president had called him “Mr Mayor”.
He said they consumed steaks together, and he marvelled at the beauty of First Lady Melania.
The White House told the ABC: “The President and the First Lady did not have dinner with that group.”
A statement from the Trump Organisation, published by Gold Coast Bulletin, also said Tate’s account of the dinner was “a fabrication” and “categorically false”.
Eric Trump oversaw the $1.5 billion deal for a Trump-branded tower on the Gold Coast, and was pictured meeting with David Young at the resort.
On Monday, a spokesman for Tate’s office attempted to clarify the claim, telling this masthead the Australian delegation had been eating with the younger Trump when the president came into the same room with a different group and wandered over to their table.
The spokesman said the US president did speak to the Gold Coast mayor, before having dinner at an adjacent table.
However, by Tuesday, Tate had walked back that clarification and was back to claiming he had a private dinner with the world’s most powerful man.
“We all know that,” he told reporters.
“I say that [recollections] may vary.
“All I know is I’m there. The president was there. Eric was there. Lara was there. The first lady was there. My first lady was there.”
Tate declined to provide further details, saying he did not know why the White House disputed his account and claiming it was a private matter – despite initially saying he was invited in an official capacity.
This masthead has contacted the Trump Organisation and White House for comment.
The president is not supposed to engage in his family’s private business dealings while in office, and therefore has his own interest in distancing himself from the dinner claims.
Tate attracted controversy when it emerged the Trump Organisation had paid for his accommodation and expenses during his stay at Mar-a-Lago.
His office has since changed his declaration to show he personally covered the costs.
Asked on Tuesday how much he paid for the stay, by the same reporter who broke the story about inconsistencies in his dinner claims, Tate refused to answer before storming off.
“Are you from the ABC? Yeah, f— off … I’ve had enough,” he said.
The plans for a Trump Tower on the Gold Coast collapsed about three months after the Mar-a-Lago meeting.
A petition railing against the project had attracted more than 142,000 signatures by that time.
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