Donald Trump has said that “no politician in history...has been treated worse or more unfairly” than him.
“Look at the way I’ve been treated lately, especially by the media,” the US President told cadets graduating from the US Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut.
“No politician in history, and I say this with great surety, has been treated worse or more unfairly. You can’t let them get you down.”
He added that the graduates should “never ever, ever give up”, before telling them: “Over the course of your life, you will find that things are not always fair. You will find that things happen to you that you do not deserve and that are not always warranted, but you have to put your head down and fight, fight, fight.”
Mr Trump's speech came amid a tumultuous month for the US leader, who is alleged to have “spontaneously” disclosed highly classified information to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Ambassador Sergei Kislak during a meeting at the White House.
Pundits and politicians have also criticised the White House for contradicting explanations of why Mr Trump decided to fire FBI Director James Comey last week. Mr Comey was leading an investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russian government.
US media reported on Tuesday that the president had asked Mr Comey to drop a separate inquiry into ex-National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.
The fallout from both issues continues to consume Washington, with several Democrats calling for the Justice Department to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the Trump campaign's ties to Moscow.
The president has also been heavily criticised by members of his own Republican Party.
Mr Trump, who has not made any public comments regarding the Comey memo, did not address either scandal in his speech to cadets.
But he did tell them that the “the more righteous your fight, the more opposition that you will face.” Mr Trump went on to list what he claims to have accomplished during his short time as president, such as job growth, “historic investment in our military”, and the confirmation of Supreme Court justice Neil Gorsuch.
