Trump touts his economic success at small business event

United States President Donald Trump, his daughter and advisor Ivanka Trump, and Small Business Administration chief Linda McMahon welcomed small business owners to the White House on Tuesday in an event, which is a part of the "American Dream Week."

The President touted his economic success, even as he entailed how the U.S. economy gathered momentum during the first full quarter with him in charge, at the gathering including manufacturing, retail and service industry professionals.

"GDP for the quarter, just released, at 2.6%. So that's so much higher than anticipated," Trump said.

"Remember I was saying, 'We're going try and hit 3% sometime over the next period of two years'?"

"But don't worry about the 3, we're going to higher than 3 in the not-too-distant future," he added.

Trump had earlier opened the small business event by calling the U.S. Senator for Florida, Marco Rubio, a "strong competitor". The moment got a few laughs too.

Meanwhile, the White House has said that Trump is "truthful and transparent" every day.

When asked about a possible "trust deficit," Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, while addressing a press briefing held before the event, said Trump is "truthful and transparent" every day.