Trump again takes aim at 'dishonest media' at Florida rally
'I want to speak to you without the filter of the fake news,' Trump said to a crowd in Florida
After four tumultuous weeks of governing, U.S. President Donald Trump is out of the White House doing what he loves best — campaigning.
Trump again took aim at what he called the "dishonest media."
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"I want to speak to you without the filter of the fake news," he said to a crowd gathered in Melbourne, Fla. "They just don't want to report the truth. They are part of the corrupt system."
"Despite all their lies, misrepresentations and false stories, they could not defeat us," Trump added. "We will continue to expose them for what they are and more importantly we will continue to win, win, win."
The event in Melbourne comes as he seeks to regain his footing following a series of crises that have threatened his young administration.
Trump was introduced at the rally by his wife, Melania Trump, who recited the Lord's Prayer before offering her own pledge to act in the best interest of all Americans as she pursues initiatives she says will impact women and children around the world.
Asked by reporters aboard Air Force One if a campaign rally was too early, Trump said that "life is a campaign" and that making America great again is a campaign. He added that "it's not easy, especially when we're also fighting the press and the media."
Administration 'running smoothly, so smoothly'
In the face of reports of chaos in his young administration, Trump assured supporters at the rally that the White House is "running smoothly, so smoothly."
Since taking office, Trump has lurched from one problem to the next, including the botched rollout of his immigration order, struggles to confirm his cabinet picks, and a near-constant stream of reports about strife within his administration, including the ousting of national security advisor Michael Flynn and the refusal of retired Vice Adm. Robert Harward to take the job.
Trump plans to interview John Bolton, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, and Army Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster while in Florida for the weekend, according to a White House official. The official said both meetings will take place at Mar-a-Lago, the president's private club in Palm Beach.
Trump's reset effort started Thursday with a marathon press conference where he defended his administration and denounced the "criminal" leaks that took down his top national security adviser. He used the platform to complain about the political press and to brag that his administration was a "fine-tuned machine."
On Friday, even as Trump sought to get out of Washington and talk about job creation, he continued to rail against the media online:
The FAKE NEWS media (failing <a href="https://twitter.com/nytimes">@nytimes</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCNews">@NBCNews</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/ABC">@ABC</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/CBS">@CBS</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/CNN">@CNN</a>) is not my enemy, it is the enemy of the American People!
—@realDonaldTrumpWith files from CBC News