Warren Buffett lambasts Trump on taxes and policies

Warren Buffett has come out strongly against Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump at a Democratic rally in Omaha, Nebraska, challenging him to release his tax returns.

One of the US's most successful businessmen, Buffett pledged his support for Hillary Clinton in the race to become the next occupant of the White House.

Buffett said that Trump's claims that he could not make his taxes public because they were under audit were not true because he was also under audit by the Internal Revenue Service. He said he would be happy to meet the Republican candidate "any place, any time" with a copy of his tax returns.

“You’re only afraid if you’ve got something to be afraid about,” Buffett told a cheering crowd in Omaha. “He’s not afraid because of the IRS, he’s afraid because of you.”

The Berkshire Hathaway CEO also targeted Trump for his actions in prolonging a dispute with the parents of Muslim American soldier Humayun Khan, in which the nominee compared his "sacrifices" to that of the captain killed in a suicide bomb attack while serving in Baghdad.

“How in the world can you stand up to a couple of parents who lost a son and talk about sacrificing because you were building a bunch of buildings?" asked Buffett. “Trump and his family have sacrificed nothing; building buildings is not sacrifice.”

Omaha, Nebraska is the hometown of Buffett, and he appeared before the crowd to introduce Clinton at a rally, aiming to win over those in a staunchly Republican state.

Buffett, 85, the fourth-richest man in the world, formally pledged his support for Clinton in December, and is one of various well-known billionaires backing her candidacy.