Billionaire Warren Buffett ready to take on Donald Trump

Buffett specifically called out recent comments made by the Republican nominee for president in an interview with ABC News’s George Stephanopoulos-in which Trump compared his own business record to the sacrifices made by men and women volunteering in the U.S. armed forces.

Trump has said he would not release his returns until the Internal Revenue Service has completed an audit.

Speaking to Clinton supporters in Omaha Monday, Buffett championed the former first lady’s vision for the United States and praised her for her campaign’s transparency – a quality he said he couldn’t extend to Trump’s. He challenged Trump to meet with him at a place of his choosing to disclose their tax returns and take questions on their contents.

Buffett says, “I’ll bring my tax return, he’ll bring his tax return. and just let people ask us questions”.

In response, Mr Trump’s spokesman Hope Hicks said: “As you know, Mr Trump is undergoing a routine audit”.

“You will learn a whole lot more about Donald Trump if he produces his income tax returns”, Buffett said.

What came to mind, the 85-year-old Buffett said, was the McCarthy hearings of 1954, when then-senator Joe McCarthy’s accusations of communist sympathizing within the US Army were dealt with by a US senate subcommittee on investigations. A monkey would have outperformed Mr Trump’s company, Mr Buffett said. It’s also unclear whether Mike Pence, Trump’s running mate who is Indiana’s governor, will make his returns public. Trump has said he was “viciously” attacked by Khizr Khan, a naturalized US citizen and a Muslim, when he publicly doubted the real estate developer had read the US Constitution. Khan said Trump had sacrificed nothing for the freedoms he enjoyed.

Mr Buffett on Monday bluntly contradicted Mr Trump.

Buffett also blasted Trump for leading the American people to believe he is a competent businessman. “We’ve both done extremely well during this period and our families haven’t sacrificed anything”, he added. Along with his own efforts to increase turnout, Buffett announced the launch of a website, Drive2Vote.org, where people can register to join him in helping voters in Nebraska’s second district get to the polls. “I’m going to be on it all day”.

“Our country is definitely going in the wrong direction, and if you’re driving 500 miles an hour in that wrong direction, you’re going to need strong brakes to stop”, said Coryell.

Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District, which encompasses the more liberal enclave of Omaha, can award a single electoral college vote differently from the rest of the state.