Intro: An astonishing row has broken out between Donald Trump and some of the reporters assigned to cover his Presidential campaign.
The standoff took place at the Trump Tower in New York where the property mogul berated members of the media for their coverage of the funding that he claims to have raised for organizations helping America's military veterans.
He called one US network television reporter a "total sleaze".
Our Washington Correspondent Simon Marks reports.
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Even by Donald Trump's standards, his behavior during Monday's press conference was extraordinarily un-Presidential.
Flanked by veterans, the man who wants to succeed Barack Obama in the Oval Office summoned the media for a drubbing.
His fury was apparently sparked by press reports suggesting that he has over-stated the amount of money that he's raised for organizations that assist America's military veterans.
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But that didn't entirely resolve matters.
He claims he's raised more than 6 million dollars to assist veterans groups - but various newspapers and websites have been digging into that, and can't find the money.
Veterans are central to Donald Trump's political plans - he's been winning their support in large numbers, thanks to policy pledges to overhaul the government department that is supposed to help them.
Under fire, unveiled a veterans affairs activist, retired Marine Al Baldaraso, who also gave the media a piece of his mind.
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The longer the press conference continued…the further it drifted from the rails.
Donald Trump who has previously referred to the media as "absolute scum" scoffed at one reporter from CBS News, sarcastically calling him a "real beauty".
And he offered this critique of reporter Tom Llamas from ABC News.
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Tensions between politicians seeking the Presidency and the reporters who cover them are nothing new.
Ronald Reagan used to deploy noisy helicopters in a bid to drown out questions he didn't want to answer.
Hillary Clinton has at times gone months without giving interviews in a bid to avoid uncomfortable questions facing her.
She's also had her staff deploy a lasso….yes an actual rope….to keep the media contingent away from her.
But this was something altogether new.
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And with that he was gone….but he'll be back….having declared virtual war on the reporters dogging his foot-steps.
It's an unorthodox way to seek the Presidency, though at this point that's definitely not breaking news.
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