Donald Trump repeatedly told his aides to be quiet so he could watch his own television appearances, a potentially embarrassing revelation for a President who is seen by some to be focused on news and ratings at the expense of policy.

The President was always tuned in to his own words, as well as those of his supporters and critics.

When he appeared on the television, during flights on the campaign trail, he would turn up the volume and shush his team so he could listen, according to sources and reported by The Washington Post.

When his former rival Hillary Clinton appeared on screen, he would watch with the same attention, point at the screen and say, “She’s lying! She’s lying!”

The daily digestion of hours of cable news television during the campaign and in the White House would explain the President’s constant focus on his ratings and his tendency to tweet his reactions to a comedian’s sketch of him or to a critical news segment.

He has also boasted of how many followers he has on Twitter – more than 28 million as of April – and has said he liked to bypass the media and get his message out directly to the people.

During small meetings in the West Wing, Mr Trump has interrupted discussions to make the attendees watch entertaining clips of Press Secretary Sean Spicer fighting with reporters. According to a source, he quipped he would never fire Mr Spicer, despite a myriad of controversies, as he gets “great ratings”.

The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Show all 9 1 /9 The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the media White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer takes questions during the daily press briefing Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Trans-Pacific Partnership Union leaders applaud US President Donald Trump for signing an executive order withdrawing the US from the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations during a meeting in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington DC. Mr Trump issued a presidential memorandum in January announcing that the US would withdraw from the trade deal Getty The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Mexico wall A US Border Patrol vehicle sits waiting for illegal immigrants at a fence opening near the US-Mexico border near McAllen, Texas. The number of incoming immigrants has surged ahead of the upcoming Presidential inauguration of Donald Trump, who has pledged to build a wall along the US-Mexico border. A signature campaign promise, Mr Trump outlined his intention to build a border wall on the US-Mexico border days after taking office Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and abortion US President Donald Trump signs an executive order as Chief of Staff Reince Priebus looks on in the Oval Office of the White House. Mr Trump reinstated a ban on American financial aide being granted to non-governmental organizations that provide abortion counseling, provide abortion referrals, or advocate for abortion access outside of the United States Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Dakota Access pipeline Opponents of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines hold a rally as they protest US President Donald Trump's executive orders advancing their construction, at Columbus Circle in New York. US President Donald Trump signed executive orders reviving the construction of two controversial oil pipelines, but said the projects would be subject to renegotiation Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and 'Obamacare' Nancy Pelosi who is the minority leader of the House of Representatives speaks beside House Democrats at an event to protect the Affordable Care Act in Los Angeles, California. US President Donald Trump's effort to make good on his campaign promise to repeal and replace the healthcare law failed when Republicans failed to get enough votes. Mr Trump has promised to revisit the matter Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Donald Trump and 'sanctuary cities' US President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January threatening to pull funding for so-called "sanctuary cities" if they do not comply with federal immigration law AP The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the travel ban US President Donald Trump has attempted twice to restrict travel into the United States from several predominantly Muslim countries. The first attempt, in February, was met with swift opposition from protesters who flocked to airports around the country. That travel ban was later blocked by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The second ban was blocked by a federal judge a day before it was scheduled to be implemented in mid-March SANDY HUFFAKER/AFP/Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and climate change US President Donald Trump sought to dismantle several of his predecessor's actions on climate change in March. His order instructed the Environmental Protection Agency to reevaluate the Clean Power Plan, which would cap power plant emissions Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

The President, who himself only became a household name via reality television show The Apprentice in 2004, has had a long on-going contentious and often hostile relationship with the media, but he spends a fair portion of his day following the news.

He reportedly starts his day by watching cable news and checks in with the coverage throughout the day from the small dining room of the Oval Office, and will often watch television late into the night after he goes upstairs. To relax, he might watch the Golf Channel.

Knowing the influence of flat screens upon Mr Trump, senior politicians and aides have often made an appeal to Mr Trump through being interviewed on television, such as Democrat Elijah Cummings or senior adviser Kellyanne Conway.

Donald Trump responds to Paris shooting: 'It looks like another terrorist attack'

In a recent interview with the Associated Press, the President said he no longer watches MSNBC or CNN in order to “avoid negativity” before work. He stated that Fox News was the most accurate channel. He still speaks to former CEO and Chairman Roger Ailes, who resigned after denying multiple accusations of sexual harassment, once a week.

He told the AP that the mainstream media treated him “very badly” and “unfairly”, but claimed his high ratings were a “tremendous advantage”. He bragged that his ratings were higher than that of any other show, including broadcasts of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

On the 100th day of his Presidency – which he described to the AP as an “artificial barrier” – he is due to hold a celebratory rally with his supporters and will boycott the traditional White House correspondents’ dinner.

Previous reports showed that within the President’s daily press briefings are clippings from hard-line right-wing publications and outlets that have peddled conspiracy theories, such as Breitbart, the Drudge Report and Infowars. Local news clippings, for example articles that praised the President "saving coal jobs", are included to put a positive spin on his agenda.

Negative news has not always been so well received. Polls which showed low approval ratings, such as from CNN, were dismissed by Mr Trump as "fake news".

Loading....

A most recent ABC News / Washington Post survey which had some negative results, said Mr Trump, got it "wrong big" on the 2016 election.