Donald Trump thanks 'vicious, violent' supporters at Orlando victory tour rally
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President-elect Donald Trump has thanked his "violent" and "vicious" supporters at a victory rally in Orlando, but also urged them to "be cool" after his presidential election victory.
Key points:
- Mr Trump tells his supporters they "were nasty and mean and vicious and ... wanted to win"
- Republican has delivered mixed messages on tour
- Aides are considering more rallies after he takes office
Following his election win in November, Mr Trump has been touring the country holding "Thank You" rallies in the states that helped bring him victory.
At each stop Mr Trump has recapped his election night triumph and done little to quiet criticism directed at his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.
In Florida, Mr Trump remembered his general election foe by joking: "We had fun fighting Hillary, didn't we?"
"You were vicious, violent, screaming 'where's the wall? We want the wall!'" he said to the crowd of supporters.
"Screaming 'prison, prison, lock her up'. I mean you are going crazy ... you were nasty and mean and vicious and you wanted to win, right?
"But now, now, it's much different. Now you're laid back, you're cool, you're mellow, right … and you're not nearly as vicious or violent, right? Because we won right?"
The tour's finale was held in the US today at the same football stadium in Mobile, Alabama, that hosted the biggest rally of his campaign.
Mr Trump has eschewed the traditional news conference held by a President-elect within days of winning.
He has done few interviews, announced his Cabinet picks via news release and continues to rely on Twitter to broadcast his thoughts and make public pronouncements.
Within days of beating Mrs Clinton, Mr Trump suggested to aides that he resume his campaign-style barnstorming.
Though he agreed to hold off until he assembled part of his Cabinet, Mr Trump has repeatedly spoken of his fondness for being on the road.
Aides are considering more rallies after he takes office, to help press his agenda with the public.
Trump delivers mixed tour messages
At his Pennsylvania tour stop, Mr Trump launched into a 20-minute recap of his election night win.
The crowd cheered as the President-elect slowly ticked off his victories state by state. He mixed in rambling criticisms of pundits and politicians from both parties.
Mr Trump also thanked African-Americans who did not vote, saying:
"They didn't come out to vote for Hillary. They didn't come out. And that was big so thank you to the African-American community."
Such rhetoric raised new questions about his ability to unify the country.
In Ohio, he took veiled swipes at fellow Republicans, including the state's Governor John Kasich and independent presidential candidate Evan McMullin, whom he solely refers to as "that guy".
But Mr Trump has also sounded some notes of unity on the tour.
In North Carolina, he said: "We will heal our divisions and unify our country. When Americans are unified there is nothing we cannot do — nothing!"
After the final rally in Alabama, Mr Trump planned to return to Mar-a-Lago, his Palm Beach estate.
Aides said the President-elect probably would spend Christmas week there and could remain at the coastal resort until New Year's.
ABC/wires
Topics: us-elections, world-politics, government-and-politics, united-states
