CAMPAIGN 2016: Testy Trump takes umbrage with questions on fundraiser

He said he had done so on the telethon-style fundraiser he held in Iowa in January as he boycotted a Fox News presidential debate.

The largest donation, a $1 million check dated May 24 and drawn from Donald J. Trump's personal account, was addressed to a small Tuckahoe, New York, group that provides scholarships to the children of fallen Marines.

Trump was unequivocal: "I'm going to continue to attack the press", he said.

But the real estate tycoon said the media coverage seemed intent on finding fault in actions he said were entirely altruistic.

As he began to read the list of donations, he paused and contemptuously asked the gathered journalists: "Are you ready? Do you have a pen?" That depends on whom you ask: Donald Trump would probably say that it's an opportunity to hit the mute button on reporters; Bernie would explain that it's a speech at which only he gets to talk; and Hillary would be like, "Do people even do those anymore?" But beyond that, as we have said before, this exhibition of philanthropy badly managed and ridiculously defended against public scrutiny should be terrifying to people working in this sector. ".I find the press to be extremely dishonest".

On Tuesday, New Hampshire State Rep. Al Baldasaro, R-Londonderry, joined Trump to scold national reporters.

"Look, I'm glad he finally did it, but I don't know that he should get much credit", she told CNN on Tuesday afternoon.

A Donald Trump presidency is now firmly in the realm of possibilities, and the media is getting a taste of it. But in the way that Trump views the world, he tried to do something honorable-raise money for vets-and was unfairly rewarded with negative headlines. He said he and his team were vetting groups they'd never heard of four months after the fact, but that wasn't true.

While Trump has long had an adversarial relationship with the media, questions about the donations to veterans touched a raw nerve with him as he tries to build a conservative base ahead of the November 8 general election. The Associated Press on Tuesday found that of the almost two dozen charities that responded to its survey, almost half received checks dated 24 May, the same day the Post published its story. He was wrong. God knows how many other veterans Trump preyed on, to bleed them dry of their money.

"Trump has been evasive and dishonest about this money, and only after being confronted for attempting to defraud vets was he shamed into accounting for the missing funds", the group said in a release. "You send people out". You do a lot of work. Now most of the money went out quite a while ago.

In a statement to 13News Now on Wednesday, the foundation said, "While there is significant interest in recent donations to the Navy SEAL Foundation from many in the news media, we do not wish to distract us from our mission of service to the Naval Special Warfare community and its families".

Biggio had served in Iraq with the son of one of Trump's bodyguards. He then returned to the reporter minutes later.

More than a dozen big checks flowed out of NY last week, bound for veterans' charities from Donald Trump. Okay, Tom, thanks. Just for the record you are not a sleaze in our book.

Later that evening Bill O'Reilly defended Trump on the May 31 edition of The O'Reilly Factor.

"You're a sleaze", Mr. Trump spat caustically while jabbing his finger toward a reporter from ABC News.

"Yes, it is", he said.

"We will not let Donald Trump use veterans as props for his agenda for hate and fear", Maier told AFP.

Trump claimed during the press conference that the protesters had been sent by Clinton. The veterans said they had not, and as evidence one admitted to having voted for Bernie Sanders, Clinton's Democratic challenger.

Much of the media attention lately has been on Donald Trump's alleged donations to veterans groups and whether they were only made so Trump could score political points. China is a frequent target for Trump, who accuses the country of stealing American jobs and cheating at global trade.