Donald Trump lashed out at the media on Tuesday while announcing that a high-profile fundraiser he held earlier this year raised $5.6 million for veterans.
“I have never received such bad publicity for doing such a good job,” Trump said during a press conference at Trump Tower.
In January, a dispute with Fox News prompted Trump to skip a Republican debate and instead hold a the fundraiser for veterans’ in Iowa. But months later, the total amount raised and what organizations received the funds was still unclear.
I have raised/given a tremendous amount of money to our great VETERANS, and have got nothing but bad publicity for doing so. Watch!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 31, 2016
Trump said he donated $1 million to the cause in addition to receiving donations from wealthy allies and the public. After the event, Trump frequently touted the fundraiser, but his campaign refused to disclose more information about who got the money and his campaign manager told the Washington Post the rally raised $4.5 million.
Trump said the “the press should be ashamed of themselves” and that his charitable donations to veterans were no one else’s business.
During the contentious exchange with media, Trump called one reporter “a sleaze” and said a male reporter was “a real beauty.”
And it wasn’t just reporters who found themselves in the crosshairs of Trump’s verbal attacks. After touting how quickly the Republican Party had come together following the heated primary, Trump went after conservatives who had criticized him.
“If I have a Republican who is not on my side, why should I be particularly nice to that person?” he asked. Trump continued to knock Mitt Romney, who has been a leader in the effort to undermine his candidacy. “I’m not a fan of Mitt Romney. Romney lost an election that he should have won,” Trump said. He added that Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol, who is actively trying to recruit a third party candidate, is “a loser.” Trump reiterated that he will hit back against those in his own party who jab at him. And that included New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez, who was on the receiving end of a Trump tirade after not attending a rally he held in her state. “She was not nice and I was fine, just a little bit of a jab,” Trump said. “And you think I’m going to change? I’m not changing.” Recommended
This article originally appeared on NBCNews.com.
Andrew Rafferty