Donald Trump savages media at Florida rally

US President Donald Trump has launched another
fierce attack on the media at a "campaign rally for
America" event in the state of Florida.

He told the crowd in Melbourne the media did not
want "to report the truth" and had their own
agenda.
He also defended the achievements of his
presidency so far, insisting that a spirit of
optimism was sweeping the US.

Mr Trump had attacked the media at a press
conference on Thursday, as pressure mounted on
his presidency.
His national security adviser Michael Flynn quit
earlier in the week. Mr Trump is to interview
candidates for the role on Sunday.

Before Air Force One landed, President Trump
came to the back of the aeroplane. He shook our
hands and told us we'd see "a fantastic crowd of
people" at the rally. He was warm and friendly to
us on the aeroplane but things changed at the
rally.

Standing on stage, he said reporters "are part of
the corrupt system". When he attacked the media,
people in the audience screamed their support.
I sat with other journalists in an area that was
surrounded by metal gates. At times the animosity
towards the media felt personal: my colleague was
taking photos, and one man held his hand in front
of her lens.

As we left the hangar, another man said to us:
"Goodbye, lying media."
On Saturday, President Trump and his wife Melania
were greeted by thousands of supporters at the
rally in a state he won in November's election.
Protesters have also promised to line the route to
the venue.

In his speech, Mr Trump said he wanted to speak
to Americans "without the filter of fake news".

Describing the media as "dishonest", he repeated
his assertion that some outlets "don't want to
report the truth" and were making up their stories
about him.
"We will continue to expose them," he said,
pledging to "win, win, win".
In his speech, the president also:

Repeated his campaign pledge to keep America "safe" and said the country would "have strong borders again" Said Americans would have "a great

healthcare plan" and Obama reforms would be repealed

Stressed that the White House was running "so smoothly", dismissing claims that his
administration was in disarray
Promised to "downsize the bloated

bureaucracy" and "drain the swamp" in Washington Said a plan would be developed to "totally destroy" so-called Islamic StatebPromised to create more jobs in the US and
rebuild the country's military
It is unusual for a sitting president to hold a rally
in the style of those held during election campaigns.

One supporter, Gene Huber from West Palm Beach,
said the decision to hold a rally was not a concern. "No jitters at all," he told the AFP news
agency. "This is a world leader now who's taking control."

Throughout the week, Mr Trump launched attacks
on the media while indicating his excitement at facing crowds in Florida again. On Thursday, he held a 76-minute press
conference where he told reporters their level of
dishonesty was out of control,bciting coverage of
his campaign's alleged contacts with Moscow.
Michael Flynn, Mr Trump's national security adviser, resigned on Monday after he misled Vice- President Mike Pence about whether he had
discussed US sanctions with Russia's ambassador before his own appointment.
Meanwhile, the New YorkTimes reported earlier this week that members of Mr Trump's campaign and other Trump associates had repeated contacts with senior Russian intelligence officials in the year
before the election.

While in Florida, Mr Trump is staying at his Mar-a- Lago resort for the third weekend in succession. In a tweet, he referred to the property as the
"Southern White House", although the private club is part of Mr Trump's portfolio and is notvgovernment property.