News: Day Two: Trump prayed, met CIA, attacked press

President Donald Trump moved fast to mend his relationship with the CIA on just his second day in office, then ignited a feud with the media over the size of his inauguration crowd after mass nationwide protests erupted against his administration.A day after he set the tone for his term by delivering a searing inaugural address laced with the populist themes that helped him win the election, Trump offered new evidencethat he will be as disdainful of convention and protocol as President as he was in the campaign trail.His broadside against the media, which he believes is unfairly representing the size of the crowd on Friday, and the sight of huge anti-Trump crowds in US cities and around the world also made another thing clear: the political acrimony that rattled the nation for the past 18 months is not going away.Trump traveled to the CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia, for a briefing from senior agency leaders and spoke to several hundred people in the spy agency's foyer, in front of a hallowed spot: the wall of honor where fallen operatives are remembered with stars."This is my first stop officially, there is nobody that feels stronger about the intelligencecommunity and the CIA than Donald Trump, there is nobody," Trump said. "I am so behind you and I know that maybe sometimes you haven't got the backing that you wanted."The gesture of the visit was an important moment for Trump, who raised doubts about his relationship with US intelligence agencies by initially casting doubt on their assessment that Russia intervened in the election by hacking Democratic email accounts. He had also spurred anxiety about his willingness to accept traditional presidential daily briefings on the gravest security threats facing the United States.His comments were warmly received by CIA employees who came in on a Saturday to see their new president.But Trump also departed from his topic, turning the event into a campaign-like appearance.He complained about the media's treatment of him and accused television stations of not being truthful about the size of the crowd on Friday.
"I have a running war with the media, they are among the most dishonest human beings on Earth -- they sort of made it sound like I had a feud with the intelligence community. The reason you are the number one stop is exactly the opposite," he said.Later, White House press secretary Sean Spicer appeared in the White House briefing room to warn the administration was going to hold the press "accountable" and argued that the Trump crowd was the largest inaugural crowd ever. He said any suggestion otherwise was "shameful and wrong."Spicer then left the room after the statement without taking questions.The White House appeared irked by cameras that showed large gaps in Trump's still large crowd on Friday compared to the one that showed historic numbers of spectators to see former President Barack Obama sworn in for his first term in 2009.The chairman of Trump's inaugural committee, Tom Barrack, told CNN's Michael Smerconish that Trump was disappointed at what he saw as deceptive photos of the crowd that appeared on Twitter."I think it's appropriate because this president is just putting his fingerprint on what it's going to be like for him to be president. It's the same consistency of straight talk," Barrack said.The spat was another reminder of Trump's deep sensitivity to criticism and to any suggestion that his popularity or election victory are not entirely legitimate.Protests around the countryAs Trump adjusted to the reality of power, those opposed to his presidency sent their own message, as a huge crowd gathered in Washington for a women's march and demonstrators also thronged cities including Chicago, Boston and Seattle. Protests also took place across the world, including in Sydney, Australia, London, Paris and Berlin.The President's motorcade passed some of the protesters as he left the White House for the CIA. The protests were part of a grassroots organizing effort meant to demonstrate a show of force to the new administration that women's rights are human rights and to stress respect for racial, gender and political diversity that organizers say were threatened by Trump's campaign.