President Trump surprised the first White House tour group since he took office, popping out from behind a partition as they admired Hillary Clinton's First Lady portrait.

The group had come to a stop in the Cross Hall of the East Wing when he appeared suddenly, sparking loud applause and cheers from the shocked crowd.

He beckoned children in the group to come forward for a photograph but only one took him up on the offer, 10-year-old Jack Cornish from Birmingham, Alabama.

The pair posed for photographs and shared a tender hug beneath the portrait which Clinton received in 2004, three years after her husband left office.

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President Trump surprised the first White House tour group on Tuesday morning with a surprise appearance as they admired Hillary Clinton's First Lady portrait in the Cross Hall

Hillary and Bill Clinton were presented with matching portraits in 2004 at an East Room ceremony by the then president George W. Bush and his wife Laura

The portrait was completed by Simmie Knox, the first African American artist commissioned for a presidential portrait, in 2003, as part of a set. The other is of her husband, former president Bill Clinton.

George W. and Laura Bush presented them to the Clintons at a White House ceremony in 2004.

It won a prominent spot among The Obamas' Christmas decorations last year, standing between two snowmen.

The White House has been closed for tours since the president's inauguration but resumed them on Tuesday.

The group had come to a stop behind a velvet rope just before the portrait shortly after 9.30am when the president appeared. He walked out from behind it to present himself to the stunned group which burst into applause.

The stunned group which consisted mostly of children burst into cheers and applause when he appeared

Two children react in shock and delight as they are surprised by the President during a tour of the White House

Trump's assistants filmed the cheery moment from behind him as he addressed the group

White House staff stood guard beside Clinton's portrait as the President addressed the group

HILLARY'S FIRST LADY PORTRAIT Hillary Clinton's First Lady portrait was completed by artist Simmie Knox in 2003. It was unveiled in the White House East Room in 2004 at a ceremony conducted by the then president, George W. Bush. The oil on linen painting forms a pair, the other being of Clinton's husband, former president Bill. It is 48 x 36 inches. She wears a black pantsuit, gold necklace and gold earrings and is depicted leaning on a wooden table and chair. Resting on the table is a White House china plate and her 200 Book, An Invitation To The White House: At Home with History. Knox is the first African American artist to have been commissioned to produce presidential portraits. He signed the portrait subtly beneath the table ledge. On Tuesday, he told DailyMail.com how he approached the Clinton administration while Bill was still in office to ask to be considered by its curator to paint the couple. Bill Cinton is depicted in the Oval Office - a request from the former president to the artist Artist Simmie Knox approached the Clinton administration before it left the White House in 2001 to ask to be considered to paint the president's portrait. He was invited to photograph Bill Clinton in the Oval Office and received this memento afterwards 'I'd always wanted to paint a president and I somehow I felt that he was the one who would give me a chance.' Mr Knox took his portfolio to the White House curator and was soon invited to the Oval Office to take photographs of Bill Clinton to work from. Artist Simmie Knox said it was a 'treat' to paint the Clintons Hillary posed years later in the couple's DC residence. She originally posed in a green suit but upon Mr Knox's suggestion, agreed to be depicted in black. 'She said how she would like to be portrayed and I asked if I could make some photographs to work from so she posed for a couple of hours,' Mr Knox said. The plate and the book were her idea and were to demonstrate 'her involvement in the arts,' he said. Mr Knox was relieved when the Clintons received them without any suggested changes. He cannot remember how long the process took. 'They both were easy, wonderful people to work with. It was a treat for me,' he said. Advertisement

'Good morning!', he shouted to the group before beckoning the children towards him for a photograph.

Jack was the only one brave enough, stepping forward shyly in his jeans and sneakers.

The President whispered a few words in his ear and hugged him before standing with his hands on his shoulders to have their photograph taken.

The appearance came minutes after an optimistic tweet from the President insisting members of his administration were getting along.

Don't be shy: Trump beckoned the children in the group forward to have their picture taken

Trump wished the group a 'good morning' before inviting some members to join him for a photograph in front of the portrait

Jack Cornish, 10, from Birmingham, Alabama, was the only child brave enough to step forward

Jack gave an enthusiastic 'OK' while the president stood behind him pumping his fist

The Hillary portrait won a prominent place in the Obamas' Christmas decorations last year, standing proudly between two snowmen

'Don't let the FAKE NEWS tell you that there is big infighting in the Trump Admin. We are getting along great, and getting major things done!' he said.

On Friday, Trump erupted into a 'ballistic' rage at Chief Strategist Steve Bannon and Chief of Staff Reince Priebus in front of his daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner.

The explosion, which took in the West Wing and was filmed in part by CNN, centered around Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his decision to recuse himself from investigations into the administration's ties to Russia.

Sessions made the announcement last week after it emerged he had spoken with the Russian ambassador on more occasions than he'd previously disclosed.

Trump was furious that his administration's ties with Russia were still dominating conversation about its first 100 days of work, according to CNN's sources.

Stopped by to surprise some of our guests touring the White House this morning! Tours of the #PeoplesHouse are now available - come on by & visit! #USA ���� WhiteHouse.gov A post shared by Donald J. Trump (@realdonaldtrump) on Mar 7, 2017 at 6:58am PST

Moments after the outburst, he left the White House on board Marine One with two of his grandchildren.

He then spent his fourth weekend in a row at Mar-a-Lago, his Palm Beach estate, before returning to Washington on Air Force One on Sunday night.

Bannon and Ivanka are also said to have clashed over the Paris Agreement, a climate change treaty struck by Barack Obama in 2015.

Ivanka wants her father to remain part of the agreement which includes 193 other countries while Bannon is urging him to withdraw from it, The New York Times reported last week.

On Monday, Trump announced a $20 billion investment from ExxonMobil which will bring 45,000 new jobs with an average salary of $100,000 to the country.

He shared the news in a video with Instagram followers, writing alongside it: 'There is an incredible spirit of optimism sweeping the country right now—we're bringing back the JOBS!'

Trump shared this optimistic tweet moments before appearing in front of the group, telling followers claims there was 'infighting' in the administration was 'fake news'