In this news conference, Donald Trump is, rhetorically at least, simply doubling down on his earlier strident representations and commitments.

Recent polling by reputable national polling firms in the US is showing that Donald Trump is not enjoying the sort of political honeymoon that newly elected US Presidents usually experience.  In Fact, his favorable ratings are dropping markedly over the past couple of weeks.

This 'seal the bunker' mentality is getting the new President to be off to a bad start.  It will be important that he shows both an ability to reach out to non-supporters and to deal equitably with adverse public opinion if he is going to have a productive time in office.

He needs the cooperation and good will of others besides his core supporters in order to deal with many pressing issues, including several of his own creation, and his failure will be costly to all affected.