Trump, being Trump, again

Donald Trump likely never expected to be having a press conference as the president-elect of the United States, and it showed Wednesday. Trump was at times vintage Trump — combative, non-specific, blustery.

Understandably, perhaps, he blasted reports that Russia had collected compromising intelligence about his finances and his personal behavior, and indeed those reports have not been substantiated. Trump was upset at the prospect that the intelligence community might have released such information.

Trump’s press conference — he’ll presumably get better at such appearances as he has more of them once taking office — also included assurances of a quick replacement for “Obamacare,” the wide-ranging and successful expansion of health insurance coverage to 22 million Americans who might not have had it otherwise. Repealing Obamacare was a hallmark of Trump’s campaign, but now Republicans in Congress, while talking repeal and replacement, seem to be hesitating because they have no replacement plan in place, and because a number of aspects of Obamacare are popular.

Trump said he would soon name a Supreme Court replacement for the late Justice Antonin Scalia, and that justice will give conservatives a majority on the court. He also talked about untangling himself from his business empire, which will be run by his children. That’s going to be a challenge for Trump, who’s not used to answering to anyone, much less 300 million-plus Americans.

This story was originally published January 12, 2017 at 4:47 PM with the headline "Trump, being Trump, again."