MELBOURNE, Fla. — President Donald Trump's rally here on Saturday featured all the classic signatures of his campaign: boasts about his poll numbers and magazine appearances, grandiose promises of quick action, protesters lining the streets, stinging attacks on the media, false statements and a large, roaring and adoring crowd that loved every minute.

It was a raucous campaign appearance — light on specifics and heavy on braggadocio — just four weeks after he was inaugurated and almost four years before he faces reelection.


Stung by the difficulties of governing, a cascade of negative news coverage and falling poll numbers, the president appeared in a flag-draped airport hangar to show that his supporters still love him and castigate the media for covering his missteps.

He cast the first month of his administration in his terms, praising his pick of Neil Gorsuch for the Supreme Court and the stock market's climb since he took office. He boasted about his conversations with CEOs and ticked off companies that were bringing jobs to the United States — or keeping ones they previously said would move elsewhere.

He told the crowd of his efforts to lower taxes on corporations, reduce environmental regulations and repeal the Affordable Care Act, though usually without concrete details. He talked generally — as he did in the campaign — about his efforts to support police officers, boost the military and fix the country's "inner cities," like Chicago.

On the short plane trip here from his weekend stay at his Mar-a-Lago resort, Trump said the speech would be about unifying the country. It was instead harsh and pitted the crowd, on his side, against a number of supposed foes — judges, unknown gang members and drug cartels allegedly pouring in from other countries, terrorists, Democrats and, most often, reporters.

"We are going to expose them for what they are," Trump said of the news media, which sat in a pen as his supporters heckled. At one moment, the president said the nation’s news media made up sources and stories and that his supporters should live "free" without the media.

He didn't mention his popularity ratings — at about 45 percent, far lower than his predecessors — and his rocky four weeks in office. The president, angry about the barrage of negative coverage, has told allies he wants more news conferences — like a 77-minute one Thursday — and rallies like Saturday's in Florida.

Air Force One rolled up here around a blazing sunset on a balmy afternoon, with thousands standing against barricades and the Lee Greenwood song "Proud to be an American" coming from the speakers.

Trump's supporters say he is happiest amid the glaring lights and the applause, and when he gets to work as his own spokesman. "I've said for two months he needs to be doing more rallies," said Newt Gingrich, a top surrogate. "He will never be the leader of Washington. He is always going to be opposed by Washington. That requires him to go to the country."

The problem, Trump's critics and even some of his supporters say, is he appears far more interested in campaigning than governing. His administration has been rocked by a number of crises and problems, from a federal investigation into his campaign's engagement with Russian officials to the departure of his national security adviser, Michael Flynn, amid controversy.

He has struggled to fill the federal government to carry out his policy goals, with top political positions empty across the bureaucracy as advisers spar over appointments. He often is unable to focus for long periods of time, aides say, and remains deeply interested in cable TV and calling old friends back in New York.

Top lawmakers say Trump’s changing positions and his frequent tweets on issues have caused problems in getting things done, and officials note he has at times seemed slow to grasp crucial parts of the federal government.

He has spent part of his fifth weekend in office trying to replace Flynn. His allies are flying across the globe to calm rattled foreign leaders.

Aboard the short flight from Mar-a-Lago to Melbourne, Trump dismissed criticism that he should be focused more on governing than campaigning. "Making our country great again is a campaign. For me, it’s a campaign. To make America great again is absolutely a campaign," he said.

People listen as President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at the AeroMod International hangar at Orlando Melbourne International Airport on Feb. 18 in Melbourne, Florida. | Getty

The scenes playing out here could have come from Ohio, or Michigan, or Florida, in October during an acrimonious campaign. About 9,000 people, according to the Melbourne Police Department, crowded into the hangar, carrying "Hillary for Prison" signs, waving pompoms and winding almost a mile outside the airport. Classic hits played during the campaign — like "Tiny Dancer" by Elton John and "My Way" by Frank Sinatra — blared from the speakers.

A speaker who introduced Trump said he would be a great president, seemingly forgetting that he had already won. "Drain the swamp!" the crowd yelled. "CNN sucks!" the crowd yelled.

And Trump frequently painted a dire, bleak situation that "only I can fix," as he famously said.

"We don't win on trade, we don't win in any capacity," Trump said. "We're going to start winning again."

He seemed determined to convince the crowd his administration was doing well, while also convincing them that things are terrible and he "inherited a mess," as he frequently says.

He blamed Democrats for not confirming his appointments, not mentioning that hundreds of key appointments haven't been made. He talked about the rising stock market and the number of companies bringing jobs into the country. He crowed about deporting "drug dealers" who are illegal immigrants, not mentioning the fear his administration has caused in cities across the country. Restaurants, for example, shut down Thursday in solidarity against him.

He blamed a judge for the problems with his executive order on immigrants, not mentioning the chaos that even his aides privately admitted happened when he signed it while leaving many agency officials, White House aides and others out of the loop.

"The White House is running so smoothly," he said, contrary to accounts of dysfunction in the West Wing from his own aides, allies and supporters.

Trump promised to cut taxes and repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, giving few specifics. Congressional leaders say such an effort has been damaged by his changing positions and his administration's seeming inability to focus.

He vowed to build a wall along the Mexican border but didn't offer his traditional call-and-response with the crowd that Mexico would pay for it. He talked about the struggles in the economy while also bragging about how it was improving.

His supporters seemed to think his problems in office thus far have all been one conspiracy against him. "He's keeping all his promises," said Ligia Rodriguez, who lives near the rally site. "He's done more in one month than Obama did in eight years."

Her husband, Miguel, stood nearby. He also said Trump was doing a good job in office, and "he's saying what everyone wants to hear, and it's a good message."

"I just think he needs to learn how to get things done," he said. "There's a lot of contention around him."

After he spoke, hordes of supporters gathered in front of the cameras, waving their Trump signs, mocking and simultaneously trying to secure the attention of camera operators they feel ignore them. Across the country, his administration is facing near-daily protests.

In some ways, it appeared as if the 2020 election had already begun.

"It's a movement that's sweeping across the country; it's sweeping across the globe," Trump said.