Donald Trump 'didn't realise the scope of the presidency and will need help from Barack Obama'

The President-elect ran a campaign grounded in his status as a political outsider and lacks experience - a fact all too apparent after his first meeting with the man he is due to succeed in office, outgoing president Barack Obama

Donald Trump and Barack Obama after their first meeting (Associated Press)

President-elect Donald Trump was reportedly surprised at the breadth of the president’s responsibilities after his first meeting with Barack Obama, according to reports.

The Republican ran a campaign as an outsider, pledging to “drain the swamp” of alleged corruption in Washington. Unlike all other US presidents to come before him, Mr Trump has no political or military experience.

But in his first meeting with Mr Obama - a man he had previously called “the worst president ever” - Mr Trump was reportedly surprised by how much work the presidency involved.

The President-elect was “surprised by the scope” of what he would have to do in his new job, according to inside sources cited by the Wall Street Journal.

The newspaper also reported that Mr Trump was unaware he would have to replace the entire presidential staff upon taking office.

As a result, Mr Obama is expected to spend more time than usual guiding Mr Trump into the role.

While Mr Obama has said he hoped Mr Trump’s presidency would be a success, many Americans feel differently.

Protests continued for the fifth consecutive day against the controversial President-elect. Demonstrations were held in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Philadelphia and elsewhere.

Organisers in Manhattan carried signs in English and Spanish bearing slogans such as, "Hate won't make us great", and chanted, "We are here to stay."

More than 1,000 people joined that march, which started mid-afternoon and extended into the evening.

Several hundred protesters also circled Philadelphia's City Hall on Sunday and then marched down Market Street to Independence Mall, carrying signs and chanting "Donald Trump has got to go!" and "This is what democracy looks like."

In Los Angeles, several hundred people gathered outside CNN's regional headquarters ahead of Mr Trump's first TV interview as President-elect on 60 Minutes.

Hundreds more including many families with children, marched in San Francisco from Golden Gate Park to Ocean Beach chanting "Love trumps hate!" On Saturday, an estimated 8,000 had marched through the city's downtown area.

Elsewhere in California, about 800 people marched through Sacramento and hundreds others formed a human chain around the nearly 3.5-mile perimeter of Oakland's Lake Merritt.

In Oregon, police said they arrested 71 people late on Saturday and early on Sunday during anti-Trump protests downtown.

Additional reporting by Agencies.