Trump surprises young White House visitors

Children touring the White House screamed with delight when US President Donald Trump popped out from behind a wooden screen to surprise them.

Trump's shock appearance for the visiting school party yesterday was carefully orchestrated with media present, although they were not allowed to ask the president questions, reports CNN.

Video taken by a White House staffer shows the president walking from behind a wooden screen to surprise the young visitors and their teachers.

Trump called a fifth grade student from an Alabama school, Jack Cornish, to him and gave him a hug before posing for a photo.

"Work hard, work hard, everybody," he told the visitors. He then waved to them before he walked away.

In what appeared a bizarre twist, Trump's unexpected showing on the ground floor took place in front of a portrait of his opponent in last year's election, Hillary Clinton, smiling glowingly as first lady in the 1990s. It was not clear if that was a deliberate placing.

But it made an impression on the visiting school party, with one girl heard saying: "Really? That was awesome".

Tuesday marked the reopening of the White House for public tours since the presidential inauguration to allow for repair work.