Donald Trump on Tuesday called an American journalist “a sleaze” during a combative press conference in which he defended his record on supporting veterans, saying he raised $5.6 million for charities on the campaign trail.
“You’re a sleaze,” said the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, pointing to a journalist who he said was from news network ABC, “because you know the facts and you know the facts well.”
Trump called the political press “among the most dishonest people I have ever met,” and criticised media coverage of his presidential campaign in general and his appearance at a veterans biker rally on Sunday.
The New York real estate tycoon annihilated more than a dozen rivals in the race to sew up the Republican nomination for the White House and is trailing Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton by just a few percentage points in recent polls ahead of November’s general election.
The Republican presidential candidate had earlier “appeared to mock” a New York Times reporter with a disability.
At issue is what the New York Times interprets as Trump’s attempt to “ridicule the appearance” of journalist Serge Kovaleski.
Trump challenged recollections by Kovaleski and others about the 9/11 aftermath during a speech, having made unsubstantiated claims that thousands of Muslims in New Jersey were seen “celebrating the attack”.
Trump, whose voice took a mocking tone, said, “Poor guy, you ought’a see this guy,” then gestured in a jerky fashion as if imitating Kovaleski’s movements.
The Times expressed outrage afterward that Trump would “ridicule the appearance of one of our reporters.”
Trump calls US journalist ‘a sleaze’ at press conference
