President Donald Trump unleashed Donald Trump on the White House press corps Thursday. | AP Photo 45 After Dark: Trump will Trump edition

It was an unexpected, cathartic and almost movie-like day at the White House.

The new president arriving in the East Room to host a lengthy, seemingly impromptu press conference. It was a back-and-forth that, at times, sounded more like a debate between political adversaries than a traditional interaction between the press and the president. It contained factual errors, fiery moments and — as has become a common theme for Trump — a retelling of his election victory, now a distant four months ago.


In the end, Donald Trump unleashed Donald Trump on the White House press corps.

Trump set about “shredding his critics, relitigating the election, bragging about his crowds, crowing about his accomplishments and denying, deflecting and obfuscating a series of mushrooming bad stories that have dogged his presidency and depressed his approval ratings,” POLITICO’s Josh Dawsey and Alex Isenstadt report. “It was an extraordinary scene in the White House, which Trump essentially turned into a venue for a campaign rally, trashed the country's most influential news outlets, cited approval polls and spread misinformation.”

Intentionally or not, Trump stepped on his administration’s own news again: He rolled out a new nominee for Labor secretary, who would be his administration’s first Hispanic Cabinet member, Alexander Acosta — a former Justice Department official and current dean of Florida International University College of Law.

Elsewhere in Donald Trump’s orbit:

NEW ORDER COMING: The president is expected to release a newly drafted executive order on immigration, rather than continue to fight for his travel ban in court. (The New York Times)

WELL, THAT WAS SOMETHING: A recap of all the things that Donald Trump covered in his press conference today.

PRIVATE FURY: Donald Trump raged about leaks in public and in private today.

PRIEBUS RELATIONSHIPS: White House chief of staff Reince Priebus is struggling to control various factions at the White House.

PRUITT YOURSELF: Sen. John McCain is skipping a vote on EPA pick Scott Pruitt so he can attend a defense conference in Munich, Germany. Meanwhile, the Times reports that some EPA employees have taken to calling senators to try and block Pruitt’s nomination.

SORRY, OBAMA: Donald Trump’s pick to be ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, apologized for his criticisms of President Barack Obama and Sen. Chuck Schumer.

And there you have it, you’re caught up on the the Trump administration. Happy Thursday. Here’s a great first-person story on how to be a dogged reporter.