Trump told to reveal his tax returns or face disqualification

A “BOMBSHELL of unusual size” could be lurking in Donald Trump’s unreleased tax returns, former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney has claimed.

The party’s standard bearer in 2012 said Mr Trump’s refusal to make public his personal financial affairs should prohibit him from running for the White House.

Mr Romney said: “It is disqualifying for a modern-day presidential nominee to refuse to release tax returns to the voters.

“The potential for hidden inappropriate associations with foreign entities, criminal organisations or other unsavoury groups is simply too great a risk to ignore for someone who is seeking to become commander-in-chief.”

He added: “There is only one logical explanation for Mr Trump’s refusal – there is a bombshell in them. We can only assume it’s a bombshell of unusual size.”

Mr Trump, the presumptive 2016 Republican presidential nominee, has claimed he cannot release the tax returns because he is under a routine audit by financial authorities, and that he will do so once that is completed. He added: “There’s nothing to learn from them.”

Every major presidential nominee in the last 40 years has released tax returns. Hillary Clinton, the probable Democratic nominee, has already made public hers dating back to 1977.

The tax row threatened to overshad- ow a crucial clear-the-air summit Mr Trump held with the Republican Party leadership in Washington.

It included his first ever meeting with Paul Ryan, the House Speaker who is the party’s most senior elected official. Mr Ryan has been seen as a leader of the establishment that resisted Mr Trump’s rise.

After a 45-minute private discussion Mr Ryan did not explicitly endorse the billionaire but said he had found him to be a “warm and genuine person with a very good personality” who shared core conservative principles.

Mr Ryan added: “I was very encouraged with what I heard from Donald Trump today. There are things we both believe in as conservatives. We are off to an encouraging start.

“We planted the seeds of unifying the party. This is a process, it takes a little time, you don’t get it together in 45 minutes.”

Mr Ryan had said last week he was “not ready” to endorse Mr Trump. He had previously condemned Mr Trump’s proposed ban on Muslims entering the United States as “not what this party and this country stands for”.

Mr Trump began to downplay the proposed ban. He said: “It hasn’t been called for yet, nobody’s done it, this is just a suggestion until we find out what’s going on.”

Mr Trump needs the backing of the party and their resources for his White House run.

Protesters gathered near the meeting with signs saying “Trump is a racist” and a cardboard coffin representing the death of the Republican Party.