I inherited a mess: Donald Trump

Donald Trump has slammed the Obama administration in his first solo press conference, as he issued a threat to leakers.

"To be honest, I inherited a mess, at home and abroad. Jobs are pouring out of the country," he said at the White House yesterday. "We’ll take care of it folks."

The US president said the "dishonest" media is "out of control" and that he is taking his message "straight to the people", before adding he is "keeping his promises to the American people".

Dismissing scandals and setbacks as a media fiction, Mr Trump said his administration is "running like a fine-tuned machine".

Mr Trump also said he will announce next week a new executive order on immigration, trying to moving forward now that his travel ban is caught up in court.

"We will be issuing a new and very comprehensive order to protect our people," he said.

The Republican also emphatically denied reports he and his administration are linked to Russia.

Hitting out at "fake news" and "criminal leaks", the US leader spoke out about the media coverage of his interaction with "Australia".

"It wasn’t that important," he said, referring to his alleged conversation with Malcolm Turnbull that made global headlines. "What happens when I am dealing with problems in North Korea, in the Middle East? .... I don’t want classified information to be getting out to the public."

The US President’s comments come amid reports intelligence officials have kept sensitive information from him out of concerns the White House may be compromised by Russia.