WATCH: Ex-North East newspaper boss to reveal all
Getting "sick threats", "twisted" mail, & suffering social media stalking...
An ex-North East newspaper boss is telling Northsound about the moment he turned down dinner with Donald Trump.
Damian Bates is sharing stories of deadlines, death threats, and dinner with The Donald at the Northsound Business Dinner this November.
The former editor recalls a moment he stood up to the US President.
He told Northsound News: "We had a conversation about Twitter and he asked me what I thought about his Twitter use, because some people had said that sometimes he goes over the top, and I said: 'well, I wouldn't Tweet the things you Tweet. To be honest I don't agree with some of the things that you say.'
"I've told him on numerous occasions I think he's wrong, I've told him on numerous occasions I wouldn't do the things that he's done.
"He doesn't want 'yes' people."
Mr Bates is the co-author of a behind the scenes book about Donald Trump which he says challenges the image the media portrays of the American leader.
He added: "I've been in the White House when the media in America are saying it's chaos in the White House - they are at each other's throats, there's anger, there's fury - inside it's been calm, it's been measured.
"I've seen the President laughing and joking with his crew, with his team, with his advisors, with his chief of staff, while outside the media are saying he's screaming at people - that's not what I've seen."
"I've been sued for defamation, and I've been called in front of judges" - DAMIAN BATES
In an interview with our North of Scotland correspondent Bryan Rutherford he told our senior reporter that he'll tell dinner guests of other stories about his time reporting the North East, including receiving "sick threats", "twisted" mail, and experiencing stalking.
The ex-journalist turned public relations guru will also speak of his more unfortunate experiences of getting into trouble: "I've been sued for defamation once, and I've been called in front of judges to give credence to something I've done.
"You get called in at 9 o'clock in the morning to appear before a judge at 10 o'clock and they make you sit there till 4pm before they deal with you, just to make you sweat - and it works!"