Donald Trump says he will be 'greatest job producer'

President-elect trains guns on pharma companies; says Russia was probably involved in hacking

Donald Trump on Wednesday asserted that he would be the "greatest jobs producer that God ever created" as the President-elect highlighted the new jobs he has been able to bring back to the country through private firms.

"We're going to create jobs. I said that I will be the greatest jobs producer that God ever created. And I mean that, I'm going to work very hard on that," Trump told reporters at his first news conference in six months. "We need certain amounts of other things, including a little bit of luck, but I think we’re going to do a real job. And I’m very proud of what we've done.”

Trump said a lot of car companies are going to be moving in. “We have other companies -- big news is going to be announced over the next couple of weeks about companies that are getting building in the Midwest.”

A day earlier, Fiat Chrysler announced to build another factory in the US as opposed to another country, he said. Ford just announced that they stopped plans for a billion dollar plant in Mexico and they are going to be moving into Michigan and expanding, very substantially, an existing plant, Trump said. “I appreciate that from Ford. I appreciate it very much from Fiat Chrysler. I hope that General Motors will be following and I think they will be. I think a lot of people will be following. I think a lot of industries are going to be coming back," Trump claimed.

The President-elect also emphasised on getting the drug industry back. “Our drug industry has been disastrous. They're leaving left and right. They supply our drugs, but they don't make them here, to a large extent. And the other thing we have to do is create new bidding procedures for the drug industry because they’re getting away with murder,” he said.

The President-elect angrily denounced unsubstantiated claims he had been caught in a compromising position in Russia and attacked US intelligence agencies over the leak of the information. "I think it was disgraceful, disgraceful that the intelligence agencies allowed any information that turned out to be so false and fake out there." Trump called the dossier that makes salacious claims about him “fake news” and “phony stuff.” “I think it’s a disgrace ... That’s something that Nazi Germany would have done,” the Republican said.

Trump acknowledged for the first time that Russia likely hacked the Democratic National Committee and the emails of other top Democrats during the 2016 presidential election. “I think it was Russia,” he said.

But the New York businessman said other countries were also hacking the United States and defended his goal of better ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin. “If Putin likes Donald Trump, I consider that an asset, not a liability.”

He also said he would maintain ownership of his global business empire but hand off control to his two oldest sons while President, an arrangement that watchdogs said would not prevent conflicts of interest in the White House.

He said he would resign from all positions overseeing hotels, golf courses and hundreds of other businesses and move his assets into a trust to help ensure that he will not consciously take actions as President that would benefit him personally.

Ethics experts said the arrangement did not go far enough.

He said Obamacare should be repealed and replaced “essentially simultaneously,” weighing in on a political debate among Republican lawmakers who are grappling with how to tackle the effort. “It’ll be repeal and replace. It’ll be essentially simultaneously,” Trump said at a press conference at Trump Tower in New York.