Trump Attacks Media and Defends His Administration In First Solo Press Conference

On Thursday, Donald Trump held his first solo press conference as president. He began by announcing he had nominated Alexander Acosta to be labor secretary nominee, but then soon began an extended attack on the media, accusing CNN and other outlets of pedaling fake news. For 77 minutes, Trump took questions, frequently interrupting reporters, dismissing CNN and other outlets as "fake news." Trump angrily denied reports that his administration is in chaos following Monday’s firing of National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.

President Trump dismissed a New York Times report that members of his presidential campaign had repeated contacts with senior Russian intelligence officials in the lead-up to November’s election. Trump called the report a "joke" and falsely stated it has been discredited. He later vowed to put a stop to leaks in his administration, saying the leaks were real but the "news is fake."