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It was a remarkable moment in modern American political history. President Donald Trump held court for one hour and 16 minutes, fielding multiple questions from reporters, while also airing his grievances with the media.

After a fast-paced and at times turbulent four weeks, President Trump rejected the idea of a White House in chaos, describing his administration as a "fine-tuned machine".

But hours later Mr Trump suffered another setback when his choice of replacement national security adviser, Robert Harward, turned down the role.

The dynamics of the presidential news conference were unusual, but it gave him a chance to take control and address his supporters and the nation directly.

He used it to defend his record and reflect on his election win - highlighting recent poll numbers, emphasising his victory over Hillary Clinton and discussing cable TV ratings.

:: Analysis: This is Trump trying to take back control

Mr Trump launched an extensive attack on the US media, saying "the level of dishonesty is out of control".

The White House has criticised the press plenty of times, but the length and unfiltered nature of this was unusual.

Reporters had initially gathered to hear him announce his pick for secretary of labour. But he swiftly moved on to attacking them.

He said: "The media is trying to attack our administration because they know we are following through on pledges we made and they're not happy about it.

"But a lot of people are happy about it.

:: Is it unfair to call Donald Trump mentally ill?

"I turn on the TV, open the newspapers, I see stories of chaos. Yet it is the exact opposite. This administration is running like a fine-tuned machine."

This was a president who seemed frustrated at how he is being portrayed.

He said: "Many of our nation's reporters will not tell you the truth. And will not treat the wonderful people of this country with the respect they deserve.

"I hope, going forward, things can be a little bit different and maybe get along a little bit better. Maybe it's not. That's okay too.

"Much of the media in Washington DC, along with New York, Los Angeles, in particular, speaks not for the people but for those profiting off an obviously very broken system.

"The press has become so dishonest and if we don't talk about it we are doing a tremendous disservice to the American people, because the press is out of control. The level of dishonesty is out of control.

"I am here to change the broken system so it serves their families well. I am talking about this entrenched power structure.

"Too oftentimes the media distort. And some of the media's fantastic, but much of it is not.

"But we're not going to let it happen."

President Trump also highlighted the challenges he faced: "Our administration inherited many problems. I inherited a mess. At home and abroad, a mess. Jobs are pouring out of the country, mass instability overseas."

His unvarnished speech was targeted at the large number of disgruntled voters who put him in power, echoing his campaign message about job generation and taking on the establishment.

The president dismissed a growing controversy about ties between his aides and Russia as a "ruse" and "scam" perpetrated by a hostile news media, and denied that any of his associates had contacts with Moscow before last year's election.

President Trump said he asked his national security adviser General Flynn to step down because he had failed to explain his dealings with Russia to vice president Mike Pence.

He added: "I didn't direct him, but I would've directed him because that's his job."

The president flatly denied that he or anyone in his administration colluded with the Russians before he entered the White House.

He attacked the leaks that had come from inside his administration because of their "classified" nature, much of which, he claimed, was "fake news".

When pressed by a reporter, he said: "I have nothing to do with Russia. Haven't made a phone call to Russia in years. Don't speak to people in Russia. Not that I wouldn't, I just have no one to speak to."

When asked about an incident with a Russian ship miles off the US coast and four planes buzzing an American military vessel, President Trump said he would not tell the press whether he would respond.

On the issue of disclosing phone calls, he said: "I called, as you know, Mexico. It was a very confidential, classified call. All of a sudden it's out there for the world to see. It's supposed to be secret. Same thing with Australia.

"All of a sudden people are finding out exactly what took place. The same thing happened with General Flynn.

"The first thing I thought when I saw this was how does the press get this classified information? You know why, because it's an illegal process. And the press should be ashamed of themselves.

"What happens when I'm dealing with North Korea? What happens when I'm dealing with the Middle East? Are you folks going to be reporting all that?

"We are going to stop it. That's why it's a criminal penalty.

"The leaks are real, but the news is fake because so much of the news is fake."

He was then asked by a reporter from CNN, another target of his attacks, whether he accepted that his earlier campaign calls for Russia to release hacked Hillary Clinton emails and admissions that he worked with WikiLeaks had left him with little credibility.

Mr Trump replied: "In one case you are talking about highly classified information. In the other you are talking about what John Podesta (Mrs Clinton's campaign chairman) said, but it wasn't classified.

"The public, they read newspapers and watch television, they don't know if it's true or false because they are not involved. I'm involved.

"I know when you are telling the truth and when you're not and I see tone. The tone is hatred. I'm really not a bad person."

Addressing his comments directly to the CNN reporter, he added: "You look at your 10 o'clock show. The panel is almost exclusive anti-Trump and the hatred and venom coming from his mouth. The public gets it. They turn around and want to throw their placards at CNN.

"Tomorrow they will say 'Donald Trump rants and raves about the press'. I'm not ranting and raving. I'm just telling you, you are dishonest people.

"The public doesn't believe you anymore. If you were straight and told it like it is, I would be your biggest fan in the world, including stories about me."

The president also lashed out at coverage of his temporary travel ban on nationals of seven mostly Muslim nations that caused a weekend of chaos at the nation's airports before being suspended by a federal court.

"We had a very smooth roll out of the travel ban. But we had a bad court," President Trump said.

"We had a bad decision that is the only thing that is wrong with the travel ban."

He also promised a new executive order on immigration would be announced next week.

It is understood President Trump wanted this news conference. It was far reaching and unfettered. On Saturday he will hold a rally in Florida, a chance to return to the people who put him in the White House.

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President Trump launches unprecedented attack on media - Sky News

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At the beginning of a news conference today to supposedly announce the nomination of his new Labor Secretary, President Donald Trump used his time at the podium to engage in what has become one of his favorite pastimes running down the mainstream media.

After pointing to a Rasmussen poll that shows his approval rating above 50% unlike the majority of other major polls and stating hes bringing jobs to America, Trump went after the media for being dishonest and not properly serving the American people.

Im making this presentation directly to the American people with the media present which is an honor to have you this morning because many of our nations reporters and folks will not tell you the truth, Trump said. And will not treat the wonderful people of our country with the respect that they deserve.

Complaining that the press is dishonest and that they are doing a tremendous disservice to the America people, the president claimed that the medias lying is out of control.

We have to talk about it to find out whats going on because the press honestly is out of control, he stated. The level of dishonesty is out of control.

Earlier this morning, Trump took to Twitter to slam reports based on information from the intelligence community as fake news while simultaneously saying something needed to be done about the illegal leaking.

Watch the clip above, via CNN.

[image via screengrab]

Follow Justin Baragona on Twitter: @justinbaragona

Have a tip we should know? tips@mediaite.com

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'The Level of Dishonesty is Out of Control': Trump Attacks Media (Again) at Start of Unrelated Presser - Mediaite

President Donald Trump launched a barrage of attacks on the press and leakers in an unsteady, unwieldy 77-minute press conference in the East Room of the White House on Thursday.

With his administration in crisis, Trump also defended the chaotic first month of his presidency, claiming that he had inherited a mess from President Barack Obama and that his administration is running like a fine-tuned machine.

Im making this presentation directly to the American people with the media present ... because many of our nations reporters and folks will not tell you the truth and will not treat the wonderful people of our country with the respect they deserve, Trump said.

Unfortunately, much of the media in Washington, D.C., along with New York, Los Angeles, in particular, speaks not for the people, but for the special interests and for those profiting off a very, very obviously broken system, he said.

The press has become so dishonest that if we dont talk about it, we are doing a tremendous disservice to the American people, a tremendous disservice, said Trump. We have to talk about it. We have to find out whats going on because the press, honestly, is out of control. The level of dishonesty is out of control.

Trumps White House is reeling from scandals related to his campaigns communications with Russian officials, which the president has dismissed asnonsense and part of a media conspiracy against him.

At the press conference, he stressed that leaking sensitive intelligence, in this case about the repeated contacts between his close associates and Russian intelligence officers, is a crime. The president said he has asked the Justice Department to open an investigation into the leaks.

Responding to questions from reporters, Trump declared that the leaks are real. The news is fake.

I dont want classified information to get out to the public, Trump said. All this information gets put into The Washington Post and The New York Times.

He went on to blame the press for recent Russian provocations in Europe and in the waters off the East Coast of the United States. The false, horrible, fake reporting makes it much harder to make a deal with Russia, the president said.

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Trump Attacks 'Out Of Control' Media In Chaotic Press Conference - Huffington Post

President Trump struck back at the news media and mounted a defense of his still-young administration Thursday, saying the press was out of control with attacks on him, and that the White House was running like a fine-tuned machine.

At a hastily arranged press conference, Mr. Trump accused news organizations of ignoring his successes and attempting to undermine him with fake news, saying that much of the news media was working to protect the special interests and status quo in Washington that he was elected to destroy.

The medias trying to attack our administration because they know we are following through on pledges that we made, and theyre not happy about it, he said at the freewheeling press conference, where he answered questions from a variety of new outlets for more than an hour.

I see [news] stories of chaos, chaos, yet it is the exact opposite, said Mr. Trump. This administration is running like a fine-tuned machine despite the fact that I cant get my Cabinet approved.

He rattled off early successes, including the record highs in the stock market, major companies such as Ford opting to keep factories in the U.S., the cancellation of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal and ordering the Pentagon to devise new plans to destroy the Islamic State.

Mr. Trump said he called the press conference to take my message straight to the people.

The president chose to put himself in front of the White House press corps amid a tumultuous week.

His nominee for labor secretary, fast-food executive Andrew Puzder, withdrew his nomination Wednesday due to dwindling support from Senate Republicans.

Mr. Trump forced his national security adviser, Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, to resign Monday because he had misled Vice President Mike Pence about conversations with the Russian ambassador during the transition.

Mr. Trump had previously blamed Mr. Flynns downfall on the news media and illegal leaks from the intelligence community that exposed his erroneous statements denying he talked to the ambassador about U.S. sanctions against Russia.

He said the relentless news stories about his alleged connections with Russia were a ruse.

Still, the rough week and the confusion that followed the rollout of his executive order for an extreme vetting program bellied his claims of the administration performing like a fine-tuned machine.

He also claimed the rollout of extreme vetting to temporarily halt visitors from seven predominantly Muslim countries, which was suspended by federal court rulings, was very smooth.

Let me tell you about the travel ban. We had a very smooth rollout of the travel ban. But we had a bad court. Got a bad decision, he said.

Mr. Trump opened the press conference by announcing his new pick to run the Labor Department, former National Labor Relations Board member R. Alexander Acosta. But he quickly launched into his rebuke of the news media.

Making a case for his early successes, the president said the news media had underreported the mess he inherited from President Obama.

As you know, our administration inherited many problems across government and across the economy, he said. To be honest, I inherited a mess. Its a mess. At home and abroad, a mess.

Listing problems that include jobs leaving the U.S., threats of North Korea and the disaster in the Middle East, the president vowed to fix all of it. Were going to take care of it all. I just want to let you know, I inherited a mess, he said.

Predicting that the news media would distort his actions during the press conference, Mr. Trump said he could imagine headlines declaring: Donald Trump rants and raves at the press.

Im not ranting and raving. Im just telling you. You know, youre dishonest people, he told reporters gathered in the East Room of the White House. But Im not ranting and raving. I love this. Im having a good time doing it.

Indeed, Mr. Trump relished sparring with reporters at the unconventional White House event that harked back to his face-offs with the press on the campaign trail.

In another nod to his wild run for presidency, Mr. Trump will hold a campaign-style rally Saturday at the Orlando-Melbourne International Airport in Melbourne, Florida.

I just heard that the crowds are massive that want to be there, Mr. Trump said at the press conference.

Richard Benedetto, a scholar on the relationships between the White House and the press, said that he was not surprised by Mr. Trumps aggressive push back against the new media.

President Trump feels, with some credibility, that he is under siege by the news media, said Mr. Benedetto, a journalism professor at American University. Just check the headlines. And he knows that if he doesnt fight back, no one else will come to his defense.

It might not win many converts, but it appeals to his base, which is all he has right now. When a presidents job approval falls below 40 percent, it signals that his base is eroding. He is at 40 percent, said the professor.

The White House press corps bristled at the criticism and pounced when Mr. Trump made an erroneous claim that his Electoral College victory was the largest since Ronald Reagan.

In fact, Mr. Trumps 304 electoral votes were surpassed by the winner in five of the seven other post-Reagan elections.

However, Mr. Trump has regularly made the claim that his Electoral College victory was the largest for a Republican since Reagan, with is closer to the truth. The last Republican with a larger win was President George H.W. Bush, with 426 electoral votes in 1988.

Why should Americans trust you? asked a TV news reporter after noting the discrepancies.

Well, I dont know, I was given that information, Mr. Trump said. I actually, Ive seen that information around. But it was a very substantial victory. Do you agree with that?

The president singled out several news organizations for ridicule, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and CNN.

In an exchange with a CNN reporter, Mr. Trump said the networks evening anchor had hatred and venom coming from his mouth.

Mr. Trump also clashed with a reporter from the Jewish news magazine Ami who asked about the increase of anti-Semitic incidents in recent weeks.

Angered by the perceived insinuation that he was anti-Semitic, Mr. Trump said that was not a fair question.

So heres the story, folks. Number one, I am the least anti-Semitic person that youve ever seen in your entire life. Number two, racism, the least racist person, said Mr. Trump, who shouted down the reporter when he attempted to interject.

Quiet, quiet, quiet, said Mr. Trump. See, he lied about [that]. He was gonna get up and ask a very straight, simple question. So you know, welcome to the world of the media. But let me just tell you something that I hate the charge. I find it repulsive.

He also appeared to offend a black reporter who asked about Mr. Trumps plans to help inner cities and whether he would seek input from the Congressional Black Caucus.

I tell you what, do you want to set up the meeting? he asked April Ryan, a reporter from American Urban Radio Networks.

When Ms. Ryan said no, Mr. Trump asked, Are they friends of yours?

The exchange was characterized as racist across Twitter and the news reports.

In an earlier response to the same reporter, Mr. Trump said that he would soon sign an executive order in support of Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

He also pledged to make good on his campaign promise to improve education, reduce crime and expand job opportunities in Americans urban communities.

I was very strong on the inner cities during the campaign, Mr. Trump said. I think its probably what got me a much higher percentage of the African-American vote than a lot of people thought I was going to get. We did, you know, much higher than people thought I was going to get. And I was honored by that, including the Hispanic vote, which was also much higher.

Mr. Trump did fare slightly better among black and Hispanic voters than 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney. He captured 8 percent of the black vote and 29 percent of the Hispanic vote, compared to Mr. Romneys 6 percent and 27 percent, respectively.

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Trump blasts 'out of control' media for ignoring early successes - Washington Times

Fortune

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President Trump Says News Media Is 'Out of Control' - Fortune