According to a report by Metro (UK) on September 15, 2026, Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate abruptly walked away from a press conference after a journalist questioned him about his claim that he had dinner with US President Donald Trump and his wife, Melania, at Mar-a-Lago earlier this year.
Tate had previously said that he dined with the Trumps during a visit to Florida in February. However, ABC News Australia later reported that the White House had withdrawn or contradicted the claim, saying that Tate had not actually eaten with the president and his wife.
When journalists asked Tate to explain his earlier statement, he maintained that he had already answered the question.
“I’ve already answered yes, and the matter’s private, so I’m not going to elaborate much further than that,” Tate said.
Another journalist then questioned him about how much his trip from Australia to Florida had cost. Tate became visibly frustrated, walked away from the press conference and responded with an expletive, telling the journalist to “f*** off” and adding that he had had enough of the questions.
The Trump Organisation had previously rejected Tate’s account of the alleged dinner, describing any suggestion that Trump had dined with the Gold Coast mayor as “categorically false.” The organisation also denied that Trump had attended an event directly or indirectly connected with Tate or an event associated with him.
The controversy comes as Tate’s Gold Coast constituency has previously been linked to another high-profile Trump-related dispute.
Plans for a 91-storey Trump Tower on the Gold Coast were abandoned after strong opposition, with critics arguing that the Trump brand had become too controversial in Australia.
The proposed development was expected to include a hotel, apartments and retail space and would have become Australia’s tallest tower if completed.
More than 140,000 people reportedly signed a petition opposing the project, highlighting the strength of the public backlash.
David Young, chief executive of Altus Property Group, which was involved with the development, said the political climate and negative perception surrounding Trump had contributed to the project's difficulties. He argued that the Trump brand had become increasingly unpopular in Australia.
The Trump Organisation strongly criticised the decision to halt the development and rejected the explanation given by Young. It accused him of using international events as a distraction from what it described as his own failures.
Tate also offered his own explanation for the collapse of the project, suggesting that the Trump Organisation had contributed to the problems because it was seeking to take a larger share of the profits than the developer.
The latest confrontation has once again placed the Gold Coast mayor and his relationship with the Trump brand under public scrutiny, particularly following conflicting accounts over whether he actually shared a meal with the US president.
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