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At Florida rally, Trump returns to campaign tactics, media criticisms

President Trump held a rally in Florida Saturday, where he railed against the news media and reiterated his plans to 'Make America Great Again.'

Speaking to a Florida crowd Saturday evening, President Trump recycled campaign rhetoric as he discussed reforms of health care, taxes, and border control while stoking the fires of his feud with the press.

鈥�,鈥� he told reporters before taking the podium, according to The Guardian. 鈥淢aking our country great again is a campaign. For me, it鈥檚 a campaign. To make America great again is absolutely a campaign. It鈥檚 not easy, especially when we鈥檙e also fighting the press.鈥�

Just four weeks into his presidency, Mr. Trump returned to the popular tactics he used on the campaign trail. Hosting the rally in Melbourne, Fla., the same city where he rallied a crowd of voters in September, he spoke to a sea of supporters in red "Make America Great Again" hats.聽

Many have questioned the reasoning behind holding a campaign-style rally less than a month into his presidency 鈥� long before the midterm campaign season, let alone the next general election season, ever takes off. For Trump, who held far more rallies than his Democratic challenger Hillary Clinton, speaking freely among his supporters became a key part of the campaign and transition period, and seems to be continuing into his presidency.

The rally gave the president a chance to deliver an unfettered message to the people, free from what he sees as 鈥渇ake news鈥� coverage by the media.

鈥淭he dishonest news media, which has published one story after another with no sources 鈥� even though they pretend they have them, they make them up in many cases 鈥撀爐hey鈥檝e become a big part of the problem,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey are part of the corrupt system.鈥�

The rally followed a week of disruption in his administration. From the resignation of National Security Advisor Michael Flynn to the withdrawal of Andrew Puzder鈥檚 nomination as Labor secretary, recent coverage has highlighted miscommunication and discord within the White House.

The president dismisses those stories as "lies" and "fake news," saying, "I聽promise you that the White House is running so smoothly."

鈥淲hen the media lies to people, I will never, ever, let them get away with it,鈥� he said to loud applause. 鈥淭hey have their own agenda, and their agenda is not your agenda.鈥�

These repeated claims, presented without evidence, have resonated with Trump鈥檚 supporters, including Cheryl Hall, a disabled veteran from Claremont, Fla. At Saturday鈥檚 rally, she told the Associated Press that she wishes outlets wouldn鈥檛 be 鈥渟o mean鈥� to the president in their coverage.

They鈥檝e also raised concerns among news outlets and politicians on both sides of the aisle.

鈥淚f you want to preserve democracy as we know it, you have to have a ,鈥� Sen. John McCain (R) of Arizona said Saturday on MSNBC鈥檚 Meet the Press Saturday afternoon, before the rally began. 鈥淲ithout it I鈥檓 afraid that we would lose so much of our individual liberties over time.鈥�

鈥淭hat鈥檚 how dictators get started,鈥� he said, adding, 鈥渢hey get started by suppressing a free press.鈥�

The president is spending the weekend in Florida at his private club, where he plans to meet with candidates to replace Mr. Flynn. The rally, Trump told the crowd, was a way to reconnect with the voters whose support put him in office.

鈥淚鈥檓 here because I want to be among my friends and among the people,鈥� he said.