From George Washington to Elton John, the Donald Trump show

US President Donald Trump strode up to the lectern and took stock of the world's press in a five-star New York hotel. "This is quite a gathering. Wow!" he crowed.

And so began an hour and 22 minutes with the world's most powerful man, pumped up by days of UN diplomacy and seething over Democratic opposition to his Supreme Court nominee, now fighting multiple allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior while a student.

The Republican commander-in-chief boasted, seethed and dished out the sarcasm, fielding questions with a dizzying tumble of words and counter punch.

Standing before a large row of American flags, the 45th president of the United States dealt with everything from China, Iran and the Kurds, to socialism, Justin Trudeau, women, the Supreme Court and Middle East peace.

Without notes and clearly relishing the occasion, he dished out compliments and made digs where he saw fit.

"You do a very good job," he told a Fox reporter who asked about NAFTA.

"Say 'thank you Mr Trump,'" he mocked when a New York Times journalist said the newspaper was thriving rather than failing, with circulation figures up under the Trump presidency.

From the Lotte New York Palace on Madison Avenue, a brisk seven-minute walk from his old penthouse home and real-estate company headquarters at Trump Tower, the 72-year-old president appeared ready to go on all night.

- On Supreme Court pick Brett Kavanaugh -
"If we brought George Washington here," ruminated an exasperated Trump of America's hallowed first president and founding father, "the Democrats would vote against him, just so you understand, and he may have had a bad past, who knows."
- On sexual assault -
"So when you say 'does it affect me in terms of my thinking with respect to Judge Kavanaugh?' Absolutely. Because I've had it many times."
- On women -
"I've always said, women are smarter than men."
- On the Kurds -
"They're great people, they're great fighters, I like them a lot," he said, later calling on a journalist as "Yes please, Mr Kurd."
- UN laughter -
- Ending on a high -