Trump Rallies Supporters, Tears Into ‘Dishonest Media,' Insures White House Running ‘Smoothly'

A rally Saturday is being put on by Trump's campaign, rather than the White House. Asked if it was a rally for the 2020 election, a spokeswoman called it "a campaign rally for America"

Trump held a campaign rally at an airport hangar in central Florida on Saturday afternoon. The event in Melbourne came as he seeks to regain his footing following a series of crises that have threatened his young administration.

There were 9,000 total attendees inside the AeroMod hangar, not including other supporters and large turnout of protesters outside the venue, according to the Melbourne Police Department.

When asked by the press inside the Air Force One whether it was too early to be campaigning, Trump responded “Life is a campaign. Making our country great again is a campaign. For me it's a campaign, to make America great again is absolutely a campaign."

"I am here because I wanna be among my friends and among the people," Trump says as he began the rally.

"I also wanna speak to you without the filter of the fake news." The president continued his attack on the media saying, "When the media lies to people, I will never ever let them get away with it. I will do whatever I can that they don’t get away with it. They have their own agenda, and their agenda is not your agenda."

Trump reiriterated what he said during his press conference on Thursday, insuring that the White House is running smoothly, and that he has inherited a "big mess" from the Obama administration.

Thousands of protesters were out on the streets of Dallas and Los Angeles to oppose immigration enforcement raids and to support immigrants and refugees generally. In Los Angeles, an organizer urged local authorities not to spend money on immigration enforcement.

Trump, who held a rally in the same spot in Florida in September, clearly relished being back in front of his supporters, welcoming the cheers and letting one supporter up on stage to offer praise for the president. He also enjoyed reliving his surprise victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton.

The event had the familiar trappings of a Trump campaign rally, including red Trump caps, "Make America Great Again" and "Trump/Pence" signs and at least one sign reading "Hillary for Prison." Some of the speakers ahead of Trump's appearance called for repealing and replacing President Barack Obama's health care law, criticized the news media or lobbed barbs at Clinton, other constants of last year's rallies.

The music playlist preceding Trump's appearance included rally favorites like Free's "All Right Now." As Air Force One rolled up to the hangar, the theme to the Harrison Ford movie "Air Force One" signaled its arrival. Trump and the first lady, Melania Trump, appeared as Lee Greenwood's "Proud to be an American" played. And his 45-minute remarks were followed by another 2016 campaign favorite, the 1969 hit "You Can't Always Get What You Want" by the Rolling Stones.

The rally came during Trump's third straight weekend at his private south Florida club, Mar-a-Lago. It was another working weekend for the president, who planned to interview at least four potential candidates for the job of national security adviser, a position unexpectedly open after retired Gen. Michael Flynn's firing early this week.

Trump said Saturday "I have many, many that want the job, they want to really be a part of it. I'll make a decision over the next couple of days."

Scheduled to discuss the job with the president were his acting adviser, retired Army Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg; John Bolton, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations; Army Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster; and the superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Lt. Gen. Robert Caslen. White House spokesman Sean Spicer said the four interviews were expected to take place Sunday at the private estate.

Finding a new national security adviser was proving to be a challenge for Trump. His first choice, retired Vice Adm. Robert Harward, turned down the offer.

Trump had also expressed interest in former CIA Director David Petraeus, but Spicer said Saturday that Petraeus was not a finalist. The retired four-star general resigned as CIA director in 2012 and pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor charge of mishandling classified information relating to documents he had provided to his biographer, with whom he was having an affair.

Flynn resigned at Trump's request Monday after revelations that he misled Vice President Mike Pence about discussing sanctions with Russia's ambassador to the U.S. during the transition. Trump said in a news conference Thursday that he was disappointed by how Flynn had treated Pence, but did not believe Flynn had done anything wrong by having the conversations.

Trump has lurched from crisis to crisis since the inauguration, including the botched rollout of his immigration order, struggles confirming his Cabinet picks and a near-constant stream of reports about strife within his administration.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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