Donald Trump renews attacks on media, courts in ‘rally for America’

Donald Trump has launched another fierce attack on the media at what was termed as a “campaign rally for America” event in the state of Florida.

The US President told the crowd in Melbourne the media did not want “to report the truth” and had their own agenda, while defending the achievements of his presidency so far, insisting that a spirit of optimism was sweeping the US.

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 and Trump is to interview candidates for the role on Sunday.

Speaking in an airplane hangar in front of a crowd of roughly 9,000 people, Trump returned time and time again to the speech lines of his campaign. “Life is a campaign,” he told reporters before taking the podium. “Making our country great again is a campaign. For me, it’s a campaign. To make America great again is absolutely a campaign. It’s not easy, especially when we’re also fighting the press.”

“When the media lies to people I will never ever let them get away with it,” he said.

With his speech, Trump continued driving on his attack of reporters, newspapers and news networks, generalizing them as “the dishonest media”.

“We are not going to let the fake news tell us what to do, how to live and what to believe,” he said. “We are free, independent people and we will make our own choices.” Trump cited the press criticisms of Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson and Abraham Lincoln as precedents in his war on the media.

Trump also continued his attacks on the ninth circuit court of appeals, which suspended the travel ban on seven predominantly Muslim nations. He claimed constitutional authority to make the ban – the courts have not ruled on its lawfulness – and said the judges were “picked by Obama”, though two of three were appointed by Jimmy Carter and George W Bush.

He said that he would roll out a new executive order in the coming days in order to address the court’s decision. “We don’t want people with bad, bad ideas coming into our country,” he said.

Trump yet again praised Britain’s vote to leave the EU and claimed to be part of a worldwide nationalist movement.

“Erasing borders does not make people safer or more prosperous, it undermines democracy,” he said. “Look at Brexit. Much smaller example but it’s still something you can look at.”

The president promised to bridge “chasms of distrust” with “bridges of opportunity”, claiming: “The nation state remains the best model for human happiness and the American nation remains the greatest symbol of liberty.”

While in Florida, 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 Trump's portfolio and is not government property.