Donald Trump claims 'shameful and dishonest' press lied about his donations to veterans' charities

“Are you ready, do you have a pen?” Donald Trump said, whipping out a sheet of paper and surveying his audience at Trump Tower with distaste.

The possible next president of the US began to reel off a list of about 40 donations to veterans’ charities to counter claims that he failed to donate profits from a January fundraising event to the retired arms forces.

The Republican broke off numerous times to call the press “shameful”, “dishonest” and “bad people“. He pointed at one reporter from ABC News and called him a “sleaze”.

“I have raised a tremendous amount for the vets, almost $6 million, and there’s more to come in too,” he told the audience at Fifth Avenue, the same location where he asked two politicians in 1991 and 2004 to help him remove veteran street vendors to prevent the area from becoming “down-market”.

He said he had raised $5.6 million from a fundraising event in Iowa in January, but he took almost six months to name which charities he had donated to.

He insisted some charities had told the press they had received less than announced or nothing at all because they either did not like speaking to the press or wanted to “keep it quiet”, and journalists should have asked these groups to see the "certified cheque".

“All of the money has been paid out,” he added. ”I have been thanked by so many vets throughout the US. One gentleman called me out of the blue, crying, to say thank you as he had been sent a cheque for $100,000."

“I wanted to keep it private, if we could, as I don’t think its anybody’s business if I give money to the vets,” he added.

He held up what he claimed was a photocopy of his own cheque for $1 million.

“I send people cheques for a lot of money and instead of being like 'thank you very much, Mr Trump, nice job', they say 'who got it, who got it’,” he said.

Al Baldasaro, a New Hampshire representative, took to the stage and asked the press to "get their heads out of their butts" and focus "on the real issues" that veterans face, like waiting times for medical treatment and homelessness.

In a short video posted on Instagram on Tuesday, Mr Trump said he was fed up of reporters asking him when and how much he had donated to veterans’ groups.

“I raised almost $6 million, including putting up $1 million of my own money. I had no obligation to do anything or to do so. And I get nothing but bad press from the dishonest media. It is absolutely disgraceful. Why don't they look at the Clinton Foundation?”

Mr Trump’s own $1 million donation has finally been paid to the Marine Corps Law-Enforcement Foundation, according to CNN.

His campaign manager Corey Lewandowski said funds raised from the event in January were between $5.5 and $6 million and a full distribution would happen by Memorial Day.

Mr Trump has donated to veterans’ groups over the years - including $1 million in 1985 towards the construction of the New York City's Vietnam Veterans Memorial Plaza - but there is often a discrepancy between the amount he pledges and the amount he donates.

In 1995 he said he saved the annual veterans’ parade with a $1 million cash donation, yet the organizer later confirmed he gave around $325,000 and $375,000.

A scathing email from Hillary Clinton’s team pointed out two instances where Mr Trump had asked for politicians’ help to remove veterans from selling their wares on Fifth Avenue, the home of his Trump Tower, and also using his now defunct Trump University to “scam” veterans.