A new report claims that President Trump was "visibly enraged" when he saw the size of the global protests in support of women's rights and against his presidency. It adds that Trump urged Press Secretary Sean Spicer to deliver his controversial fiery statement to the White House press corps.

The Washington Post's Tuesday (23 January) report tells the story of Trump's first few days from "interviews with nearly a dozen senior White House officials and other Trump advisers and confidants".

More from IBTimes UK

According to the paper, as White House staff were still unpacking on the Saturday after his inauguration, Trump "grew increasingly and visibly enraged" as he saw the size of the crowd at his swearing-in being unfavourably compared to the global protests against him and his administration.

Though aides told the new President to focus on policy or respond via a simple tweet, Trump "was adamant" that Spicer should fight back. The result was Spicer's first statement, which was roundly derided as being full of untruths.

Even Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway struggled to defend Spicer. Conway was mocked on social media and beyond after a TV interview where she said that Spicer had not told falsehoods but had merely presented "alternative facts".

This development also annoyed Trump, the Post reports. It says he called Conway to praise her interview performance but was "perturbed" when he realised the main takeaway was her "alternative facts" quote.