President Donald Trump stepped up his criticism of financial regulations on Monday, saying his administration is determined to go after the 2010 Dodd-Frank banking overhaul law because he believes it has made it extremely difficult for businesses to get loans.

"We're going to be doing a big number on Dodd-Frank," Trump said Monday at an event with small business leaders at the White House. He called the legislation "a disaster" and said, "It's almost impossible now to start a small business and it's virtually impossible to expand your existing business."

Trump's remarks are his most pointed on financial rules since he took office Jan. 20. His advisers vowed to dismantle Dodd-Frank during the transition period, but have provided scant details on how they plan to go about it. Trump didn't say whether he planned to attack the law through executive action or by working with Congress on legislation.