Rocky start for Trump

Donald Trump's White House came under fire yesterday for falsely accusing media of misreporting inaugural crowd numbers, after millions took to the streets in protest against the new president.

The brash billionaire and his chief spokesman launched a startling assault on the media on Saturday, Trump's first full day in office, accusing reporters of downplaying the turnout at his swearing-in ceremony.

The statements from Trump and his chief spokesman of the inauguration turnout are being seen by analysts as an attempt to change the subject.

Non-stop news network coverage of Saturday's sprawling demonstrations against Trump were replaced within hours by debate over his "war on the media," which is likely to play well among his supporters.

Neither man has produced evidence to back their claims. And photographs appear to show many more attending the inauguration of Barack Obama in 2009.

Trump did not mention the protests during a bridge-building visit to CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia, on Saturday but instead turned on the press.

He accused the media of inventing a feud between him and the intelligence community. Trump said TV footage and photos of his inauguration had painted an inaccurate picture. "It looked like a million and a half people" there on Friday, he said, disputing media reports that there were as few as 250,000 people.

"As you know, I have a running war with the media. They are among the most dishonest human beings on Earth," Trump said.

Later, White House press secretary Sean Spicer also went on the attack.

"There's been a lot of talk in the media about the responsibility to hold Donald Trump accountable, and I'm here to tell you it goes two ways. We're going to hold the press accountable as well."

He refused to take questions.

Trump's visit to the CIA headquarters had sought to mend relations with the intelligence community after weeks of doubting their conclusions about alleged Russian interference into the US election.

"I love you, I respect you," he said, adding that he was "1,000%" behind the spy agency.

Trump said the media had invented a feud between them, although in a recent row over a leaked dossier that alleged the Kremlin held compromising material on him, he had likened the actions of intelligence agencies to Nazi Germany.

But the outgoing CIA director condemned the president's statement at Langley. "Former CIA Director Brennan is deeply saddened and angered at Donald Trump's despicable display of self-aggrandisement in front of CIA's Memorial Wall of agency heroes," his former deputy, Nick Shapiro, said in a statement carried by CNN.

"Brennan says that Trump should be ashamed of himself."