President Trump hastily added a press conference to his schedule for noon Thursday to announce a new nominee for secretary of labor, he told reporters at the White House.
Mr. Trump’s first nominee for the job, fast-food executive Andrew Puzder, withdrew Wednesday due to eroding support among Senate Republicans over allegations of wife abuse and employing an illegal immigrant as a maid.
The president was ready with the new nominee within hours.
The last-minute press conference comes amid a tumultuous week for the president, who saw Mr. Puzder drop out and had to force a resignation from his national security adviser over his misleading administration officials about contacts with Russia during the transition.
Mr. Trump blamed the downfall of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn on the new media and leaks from intelligence community. He has vowed to stop the leaks, which he called a national security issue.
“We’re going to find the leakers, and they’re going to pay a big price,” he said at a meeting with congressional leaders.
Mr. Trump began the day taking aim at Democrats and the press on Twitter, saying they were resorting to “fake news” to undermine his administration.
An hour later, he added the press conference in the East Room of the White House to the schedule.
• S.A. Miller can be reached at smiller@washingtontimes.com.
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