Trump suggests falling energy prices is evidence he has never been a Russian agent in rambling Twitter outburst

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Donald Trump has suggested falling energy prices in the US is evidence he has never been a secret Russian agent.

“Gas prices drop across the United States because President Trump has deregulated Energy and we are now producing a great deal more oil than ever before," the US president wrote on Twitter.

"But this is bad news for Russia, why would President Trump do such a thing? Thought he worked for Kremlin?" Mr Trump added sarcastically.

The tweet appeared to be part of the president's ongoing angry reaction to revelations the FBI launched an investigation into whether he was secretly working on behalf of Russia.

The New York Times reported last week law enforcement officials launched the probe following Mr Trump's sacking of former FBI director James Comey in May 2017.

Experts have previously cast doubt on Mr Trump's claims he is responsible for falling gasoline prices.

Market forces outside a president's control are widely considered a far greater driver of falling prices than anything Mr Trump is able to do.

Mr Trump also shared a tweet by Geraldo Rivera, a lawyer and frequent Fox News host, who claimed any FBI investigation into the president said "more about anti-Trump bias" in the Justice Department than it did about Mr Trump.

An internal review by the Justice Department found there was no evidence an investigation into the Trump campaign's ties to Russia were motivated by political bias.

In further tweets, Mr Trump moved onto the US government shutdown, again blaming Democrats for the continued closure of a number of federal agencies.

"Nancy and Cryin’ Chuck can end the Shutdown in 15 minutes. At this point it has become their, and the Democrats, fault," Mr Trump tweeted, referring to Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, the Democratic leaders in Congress.

It comes despite repeated attempts by Democrats to reopen the government. Mr Trump has refused to sign any bill that would do so until he received $5.7bn (£4.4bn) in funding for construction of a border wall across the US-Mexico border.

In a now-deleted tweet, Mr Trump also announced he was "getting ready" to address a farm convention in Tennessee.

"See you in a little while," he said, before it emerged the convention was in New Orleans, Louisiana.

The president concluded by going back to one of his favourite subjects; railing against the media.

"The Fake News gets crazier and more dishonest every single day. Amazing to watch as certain people covering me, and the tremendous success of this administration, have truly gone MAD!" he wrote.

"Their Fake reporting creates anger and disunity. Take two weeks off and come back rested. Chill!"