But the president was in no mood to field questions from the media after hailing the long-awaited funding bill, which he signed just hours after thousands of files related to Jeffrey Epstein - in which he was referenced - were released.
As it happened: Trump ends shutdown after Epstein files released
Mr Trump has always denied any wrongdoing in relation to the deceased billionaire paedophile, and said in a Truth Social post after their release that the "Jeffrey Epstein hoax" is a "trap" set by Democrats.
His appearance in the Oval Office came after the House of Representatives voted to reopen the government, after the Senate - the upper chamber of Congress - reached a deal on Monday.
The breakthrough came when a handful of Democrat senators rebuffed their party's leadership - who'd spent weeks pushing for guarantees on healthcare subsidies - and teamed up with Republicans.
The deal then went to the president, who signed it into law.
"It's a great day," he declared, as he blamed Democrats for the 43-day shutdown that left federal workers without pay, food aid undelivered, air travel disrupted, and museums closed.
But the big media moment from behind the historic White House Resolute desk was short and sweet - with Mr Trump, unusually, taking no questions from journalists.
What's in the latest Epstein files?
Democrats on the House Oversight Committee initially published several emails which they said "raises questions about Trump and Epstein's relationship, Trump's knowledge of Epstein's crimes" and the president's relationship to Epstein's victims.
White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, said the "selectively leaked emails" were an attempt to "create a fake narrative to smear President Trump". He has consistently denied any involvement or knowledge about Epstein's sex trafficking operation.
It prompted Republicans to retaliate by releasing more than 20,000 pages from Epstein's files and accusing Democrats of "cherry-picking" their documents.
Read more: What Epstein emails say about Trump
Epstein took his own life in prison in 2019 following a conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor, for which he was registered as a sex offender. He was awaiting a trial for sex trafficking charges.
In his Truth Social post, Mr Trump said the release of the latest files were a "deflection" from the shutdown.
The shutdown, which started on 1 October, has disrupted the lives of millions of Americans as all non-essential parts of government have been frozen.
It was the first shutdown in almost seven years.
As he put pen to paper, the president accused the Democrats of an "extortion" attempt over their push for healthcare subsidies - provided under the Affordable Care Act brought in by Barack Obama - to be extended.
"Republicans never wanted a shutdown," he said.
"It's cost the country $1.5trn," he added.
Democrats on the House Oversight Committee initially published several emails which they said "raises questions about Trump and Epstein's relationship, Trump's knowledge of Epstein's crimes" and the president's relationship to Epstein's victims.
White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, said the "selectively leaked emails" were an attempt to "create a fake narrative to smear President Trump". He has consistently denied any involvement or knowledge about Epstein's sex trafficking operation.
Trump latest: 20,000 pages published in response to 'leak'
It prompted Republicans to retaliate by releasing more than 20,000 pages from Epstein's files and accusing Democrats of "cherry-picking" their documents.
Here's what the emails say...
:: Epstein discusses Trump
Three messages, dated between 2011 and 2019, are between Jeffrey Epstein and his sex trafficking co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell and between Epstein and author Michael Wolff.
In the first exchange of emails, between Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, dated 2 April 2011, Epstein wrote:
i want you to realize that that dog that hasn't barked is trump.. Virginia spent hours at my house with him ,, he has never once been mentioned. police chief. etc. im 75% there
Maxwell responded:
I have been thinking about that...
The name Virginia, refers to Virginia Giuffre, a prominent Epstein survivor who died in April and had never accused Mr Trump of wrongdoing.
Ms Giuffre made allegations of three sexual encounters with Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who was stripped of his prince title, in her autobiography which was released last month - allegations Andrew has denied.
In the second exchange of emails, between Epstein and Michael Wolff, a journalist who has written several books about the Trump administration, dated 31 January 2019, Epstein wrote:
[REDACTED NAME] worked at mara lago. . she was the one that accused prince andrew. . trump said me to resign, never a member ever.. of course he knew about the girls as he asked ghislaine to stop
The third email exchange, between Epstein and Wolff, dated between 15 and 16 December 2015 shows that Wolff wrote:
I hear CNN planning to ask Trump tonight about his relationship with you--either on air or in scrum afterwards.
Epstein replied:
if we were able to craft an answer for him, what do you think it should be?
Wolff responded:
I think you should let him hang himself. If he says he hasn't been on the plane or the house, then that gives you a valuable PR and political currency. You can hang him in a way that potentially generates a positive benefit for you, or, if it really looks like he could win, you could save him, generating a debt. Of course, it is possible that, when asked, he'll say Jeffrey is a great guy and has gotten a raw deal and is a victim of political correctness, which is to be outlawed in a Trump regime.
Responding to the release of emails, Mr Wolff posted a video on Instagram: "I have been trying to talk about this story for a very long time now and perhaps we're getting close to the smoking gun.
"These two men... had the closest of relationships for more than a decade."
:: Andrew included in Epstein emails
In several email exchanges, Epstein refers to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and a picture of him with victim Virginia Giuffre.
A photo emerged in 2011 of Andrew, which has become infamous, showing the former prince with his arm around Virginia Giuffre, apparently taken in Ghislaine Maxwell's London home.
The former duke, who was recently stripped of his titles, has previously said he didn't recall meeting Ms Giuffre and claimed an image of the pair could have been doctored.
Although the name of the "girl" is redacted, Epstein appears in his email exchange to be referring to Ms Giuffre, who at the time had spoken to The Mail on Sunday, which had published the photo.
In an email from Epstein to a reporter on 1 July 2011, he said:
The girl has fled the country with an outstanding arrest warrant. The da (sic) after she accused others, said in writing that she has no credibility, she was never 15 years old working for me, her story made it seem like she first worked for trump at that age and was met by ghislaine maxwell.
Total horseshit, the daily mail paid her money, they admitted it, with the statement that it took money to coax out the truth.
Yes she was on my plane, and yes she had her picture taken with Andrew, as many of my employees have.
In a separate email to a publicist on 1 July 2011, Epstein writes:
The girl who accused Prince Andrew can also easily be proven to be a liar.
I think Buckingham Palace would love it. You should task someone to investigate the girl Virginia Roberts, that has caused the Queen's son all this agro (sic).
I promise you she is a fraud. You and I will be able to go to ascot (sic) for the rest of our lives.
:: Mandelson and Epstein talk Trump
According to the documents, Peter Mandelson, who was sacked as the UK ambassador to the US in September, was continuing his connections with Epstein in 2016.
Sir Keir Starmer dismissed him after learning about emails between him and Epstein from 2005 to 2010 - including after Epstein's conviction for soliciting a minor for prostitution.
In an exchange between Epstein and Peter Mandelson on 6 November 2016, Epstein wrote:
63 years old. . you made it
Responding to the message referring to his birthday several days before, Mr Mandelson replied:
Just. I have decided to extend my life by spending more of it in the US.
On the same day, and just before the 2016 US presidential election, Epstein then replies:
in the donald white house
Epstein goes on to refer to Andrew and Mr Mandelson's partner, now husband, Reinaldo Avila da Silva:
trump/ and having agreat [sic] deal of fun. In hindsight. you were right about staying away from andrew. I was right in your staying with rinaldo [sic]
According to the documents, Mandelson responds:
Of course, donald in WH. Will he get there? Yes, without Andrew it would not have gone nuclear. Did you advise me to stay with R ? Such a handful but loyal and never embarrassing.
In a separate email from 7 March 2011, Epstein received an interview request from the BBC via his lawyer:
We are keen to explore the possibility of conducting an interview with Mr Epstein, on the subject of the stories which are circulating, however inaccurately, about both him and Prince Andrew, the Duke of York; we'd be keen to hear from Mr Epstein first hand so that the various and at times, speculative reporting which is at large in the UK press can be better
scrutinised?".
The message was forwarded to Mr Mandelson, who replied, bluntly:
No!!
In May this year, Mr Mandelson was asked by Sky News about his relationship with Epstein: "I'm not answering any questions about him. My knowledge of him is something I regret, I wish I'd never met him in the first place."
Read more from Sky News:
Key claims by Virginia Giuffre in memoir
Ghislaine Maxwell appeals to Trump
US Congress summons Andrew
Sky News' US news partner NBC News has reached out to lawyers for Michael Wolff, Maxwell and the family of Virginia Giuffre for comment.
The top Democrat on the House committee, Robert Garcia of California, said in a statement that the released emails "raise glaring questions about what else the White House is hiding and the nature of the relationship between Epstein and the President".
The Oversight Committee Democrats say the emails strike "a blow against the White House's Epstein cover-up".
But White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt said in a statement: "The Democrats selectively leaked emails to the liberal media to create a fake narrative to smear President Trump.
"The 'unnamed victim' referenced in these emails is the late Virginia Giuffre, who repeatedly said President Trump was not involved in any wrongdoing whatsoever and 'couldn't have been friendlier' to her in their limited interactions."
Sky News understands Sir Keir spoke briefly to Wes Streeting on Wednesday evening, though did not share details about the briefing campaign.
Politics Hub: Follow latest updates
Speaking at Prime Minister's Questions earlier in the day, he denied authorising the attacks on Mr Streeting, who was accused of planning a leadership challenge after the budget later this month.
Mr Streeting said the allegations are "not true", telling Sky News' Mornings With Ridge And Frost that whoever was behind the briefings had been "watching too much Celebrity Traitors".
He insisted he was loyal to the prime minister, who has been under mounting pressure as he and the Labour Party flounder behind Reform in the polls.
Downing Street went on the attack on Tuesday night to ward off any potential challenge to Sir Keir after the budget, which could see the government announce manifesto-breaking tax rises.
Sir Keir and Rachel Reeves have refused to rule out raising income tax, national insurance, or VAT.
One senior figure told Sky News political editor Beth Rigby while a post-budget challenge is unlikely, it could come if next May's elections - including in London and Wales - go badly for Labour.
Labour face a challenge from Reform on the right and parties like the Greens and Plaid Cymru on the left.
Read more: How No 10 plunged itself into crisis
Also under pressure is the prime minister's chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, after Mr Streeting hit out at a "toxic culture" inside Number 10.
Sir Keir failed to say he had "full confidence" in him at PMQs in response to questions from Kemi Badenoch, but the prime minister's political spokesperson later insisted to journalists that he does retain his backing.
Sky News understands Mr McSweeney was not discussed when Sir Keir and Mr Streeting spoke last night.
Labour chairwoman Anna Turley said the prime minister will investigate the source of the claims against the health secretary, telling ITV: "This is not what he wants to see and he's determined to drive it out."
BMA chair Dr Tom Dolphin told Sky News the dispute remains rooted in years of pay erosion that have left resident doctors far behind other public sector workers.
"When we started the dispute, […] the lowest level of the resident doctors were being paid £14 an hour," he said.
"There were some pay rises over the last couple of years that brought that partly back to the value it should be at, but not all the way.
"The secretary of state (Wes Streeting) himself called it a journey, implying there were further steps to come, but we haven't seen that."
When asked if the row ultimately "comes down to money", he replied: "In the sense that the secretary of state doesn't want to or isn't able to fund the pay increases to match the value that we had in 2008."
Dr Dolphin argued that while "the general worker in the economy as a whole" has seen pay catch up since the 2008 financial crash, "doctors are still way down".
The government points out that its 29% settlement last year was one of the largest in the public sector and was intended to draw a line under two years of walkouts.
But Dr Dolphin said the deal still fell short: "The gap was biggest for doctors and needed the biggest amount of restoration, and that's what we got."
He defended the BMA's use of the Retail Price Index (RPI), a metric rejected by the Office for National Statistics, saying it "better reflects the costs people face".
Should resident doctors get a pay rise? Have your say in the poll at the bottom of this story.
'Who do you think is treating the patients?'
With Chancellor Rachel Reeves preparing her budget amid warnings of deep cuts, Dr Dolphin said the BMA is not demanding an immediate cash injection.
"We're quite happy for that money to be deferred with some kind of multi-year pay deal so that we can end the dispute and avoid having further industrial action about pay for several years to come," he said.
"Money spent in the NHS is returned to the economy. For every pound you spend, you get several pounds back."
When pressed on whether the £1.7bn cost of previous strike action could have been better spent on treatment and technology for NHS cancer patients, he hit back: "Who do you think is treating the cancer patients? It's the doctors."
Read more on Sky News:
Thousands of NHS redundancies
Sentence and fine over patient death
Strikes will cause disruption, union boss admits
Dr Dolphin rejected suggestions that the dispute could destabilise the government, calling the idea "implausible".
He admitted prolonged strikes have tested public patience, but said the government had left doctors with no choice.
"A prolonged industrial dispute makes people annoyed with both sides," he said. "It is vexing to us that we are still in this dispute."
"I don't want patients to suffer," he added. "I accept that the strikes cause disruption… of course that's upsetting for them. I completely get that. And I'm sorry that it's happening."
They have joined artists including The Cure's Robert Smith, New Order, Mark Knopfler, Iron Maiden, PJ Harvey and this year's Mercury Prize winner Sam Fender to sign a statement calling for a cap to "restore faith in the ticketing system" and "help democratise public access to the arts".
Other signatories include the watchdog Which?, FanFair Alliance, O2, the Football Supporters' Association and organisations representing the music and theatre industries, venues, managers, and ticket retailers.
In the statement, the coalition says new protections are needed to "help fix elements of the extortionate and pernicious secondary ticketing market that serve the interests of touts, whose exploitative practices are preventing genuine fans from accessing the music, theatre, and sports they love".
Labour had promised in its manifesto to put a stop to concert-goers being scammed or priced out of events by touts using bots to buy tickets in bulk the moment they go on sale, which they can then sell on for huge mark-ups on secondary ticketing websites.
In government, the party again made that promise - but more than a year after it vowed action, and seven months since its consultation on the issue closed, there has been no clear indication of when new laws will be introduced.
Read more on Sky News:
NASA cancels space launch as strongest 'cannibal storm'
PM apologises to health secretary over coup accusations
The campaign comes as a new investigation from Which? found prolific sellers in locations including Brazil, Dubai, Singapore, Spain, and the US hoovering up tickets for popular events in the UK before relisting them at vastly inflated prices on StubHub and Viagogo.
How much?!
Which? found Oasis tickets for Wembley shows listed for £3,498.85 on StubHub and £4,442 on Viagogo.
A seat for the Minnesota Vikings vs Cleveland Browns NFL clash at Tottenham Hotspur was listed for £3,568.39 on StubHub, while a Coldplay ticket, also for Wembley, was £814.52 on StubHub.
And a ticket for the All Points East festival in London's Victoria Park, headlined by Raye, for £114,666 on Viagogo.
The watchdog found it was often difficult for buyers to establish the seller's identity or to contact them - despite the Competition and Markets Authority securing a court order in 2018 requiring Viagogo to outline the identity of traders.
And there's more…
Which? also found evidence of speculative selling - when tickets are listed on secondary sites even though the seller has not bought them yet.
Tickets for a Busted vs McFly show in Glasgow, which were available through Ticketmaster - the original seller - were simultaneously being listed on StubHub and Viagogo at double the price.
Government to set out plans 'shortly'
Which? consumer law expert Lisa Webb urged Prime Minster Sir Keir Starmer to commit to legislation.
A government spokeswoman said it is "fully committed to clamping down on touts," had listened to comments in response to the consultation earlier this year, and would set out its plans "shortly".