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Trump attacks the media in CIA speech and praises his election win

22 January 2017 01:29 (UTC +04:00)

No one will support the intelligence community more than he will, President Trump told a crowd at CIA headquarters Saturday, while he also attacked the news media for reporting that he had a "feud" with intelligence agencies, APA reports quoting USA Today.

While he has clashed with intelligence officials in recent weeks over investigations into Russian election activity, Trump told CIA employees that "you're going to get so much backing" from his administration.

Describing the CIA as a key to victory over Islamic State-style terrorists, Trump also said he got the most votes in last year's election from members of the military and intelligence communities, and "probably everybody in this room voted for me ... We're all on the same wavelength."

Trump's CIA visit came hours after he attended a National Prayer Service at Washington National Cathedral, nearly 24 hours after being sworn in as the nation's 45th president.

Meanwhile, thousands marched in the streets of Washington and other cities across the globe to protest his presidency and even challenge its legitimacy.

In other second-day developments:

• The new president confirmed that British Prime Minister Theresa May will be visiting him at the White House "very soon."

• The Trump Department of Justice said the president is within his rights to hire son-in-law Jared Kushner as a White House adviser; a Justice memorandum said a nepotism law passed by Congress does not apply to the executive branch.

• Trump again took to social media, tweeting that "I am honored to serve you, the great American People, as your 45th President of the United States!"

Trump's visit to CIA headquarters in Virginia resembled something of a peace mission.

During the transition between election and inauguration, leaders of the intelligence community said Russia engineered the hacking in an effort to help Trump, while Trump and supporters said other countries could have been involved. He also claimed the intelligence community leaked damaging information on him, including allegations out of Russia. (Trump later acknowledged that Russia was behind the hacking, but that it didn't affect the counting of votes.)

In his appearance before CIA employees, Trump blamed the media for what he called false reporting of a "feud" with intelligence, saying that "I have a running was with the media; they are the most dishonest people on earth."

He also attacked media coverage of parts of his Inauguration Day, saying media outlets played down the size of the crowd he drew.

Earlier in the day, Trump tweeted praise for Friday's inaugural events (and one news network's coverage of it).

"A fantastic day and evening in Washington D.C.," Trump said. "Thank you to @FoxNews and so many other news outlets for the GREAT reviews of the speech!"

Others criticized Trump's inaugural address, calling it too dark and pessimistic. Citing the specters of crime, poor education, and shuttered factories, the new president told his constituents, "this American carnage stops right here and stops right now."

A New York Times editorial said Trump ignored positive developments in law enforcement and economic opportunity, and that "the new president offered a tortured rewrite of American history — ignoring the injustices of the past as well as the nation’s economic resilience and social achievements in recent decades."

The new president extolled his Twitter use during one of the inaugural balls Friday night, asking the crowd, "should I keep the Twitter going or not?" When supporters roared their approval, Trump replied, "I think so. You know, the enemies keep saying, 'oh, that’s terrible.' But it’s a way of bypassing dishonest media.”

The Trump administration also ordered a regulatory freeze, similar to the ones imposed imposed by presidents Obama and Bush at the start of their terms.

Newly Trump-led agencies and departments are also starting to assert their authority.

On another social media front, The Washington Post reported that the administration ordered the Interior Department to shut down its Twitter account after it opposed unflattering pictures of the size of the crowd at Trump's inaugural, much smaller than the one Obama had in 2009.

“All bureaus and the department have been directed by incoming administration to shut down Twitter platforms immediately until further notice,” said an email obtained by the Post.