Gold Coast mayor issues apology after swearing at journalist in press conference

Gold Coast mayor Tom Tate has issued an apology after swearing at a journalist during a press conference when questioned over a supposed dinner with US President Donald Trump.

Tate claimed he had dinner with the president, first lady Melania Trump, the president’s son Eric Trump, and Eric’s wife at Mar-a-Lago in Florida in February.

However, the White House claims the dinner never happened.

Tate took issue with a line of questioning from an ABC journalist at a press conference on Tuesday, where the topic of the dinner and who paid for it and his trip overall came up.

“Are you from the ABC?” he asked the journalist after himself being quizzed on whether an invoice existed for the dinner.

When the journalist responded “yes”, Tate said, “Yeah, f--- off, I’ve had enough of you”, and walked out of the press conference.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Tate addressed the incident, admitting he had fallen short of expectations.

“As far as I’m concerned, I was out of line, using a swear word, even though being frustrated, and I absolutely apologise to all the journalists that was [sic] there,” he said.

Tate doubled down on his assertions that the dinner occurred, saying “wonderful” things were discussed, but refusing to go into any detail.

“All I can say is, I had my conversation and we had dinner, and I won’t get into some of the wonderful things that we discuss or other things there because it’s private,” he claimed.

“I paid for it, the invoice is private, you’re not getting it.”

He was later heard expressing frustration with the continued line of questioning: “They keep asking me the same stupid questions.”

The Trump Organisation, in a statement to the ABC, said Tate’s account of what happened was “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.

"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."

Tate, speaking to Triple M radio earlier this year, provided details on the dinner, including the tomahawk steak that was part of the main meal, and how he supposedly paid for the dinner.

“I thought, ‘Well, I’ll just go slow at pulling out my wallet’, and they beat me to it,” Tate said.

He said Trump was “very likeable” in real life and that “he does his homework”.

“First thing, he shook my hand and he goes, ‘Mr Mayor, you’re very welcome to our residence in Mar-a-Lago’,” he said.

“I just felt like he knew who I was.”