Story highlights During the campaign, Trump repeatedly referred to his rallies as the "safest place on Earth"

A Trump supporter threw an empty water bottle at a reporter following the rally

Orlando, Florida (CNN) President-elect Donald Trump said Friday his supporters were "violent" during the 2016 campaign.

Trump made the admission Friday night during a rally here on the Florida leg of his "Thank You" tour. During the campaign, he repeatedly downplayed violent outbursts his supporters displayed at times toward protesters and insisted that paid activists were instead responsible for inciting violence at his rallies.

"You people were vicious, violent, screaming, 'Where's the wall? We want the wall!' Screaming, 'Prison! Prison! Lock her up!' I mean you are going crazy. I mean, you were nasty and mean and vicious and you wanted to win, right?" Trump said Friday. "But now, you're mellow and you're cool and you're not nearly as vicious or violent, right? Because we won, right?"

During the campaign, Trump repeatedly referred to his rallies as the "safest place on Earth" and called them a "love fest."

Meanwhile, some Trump supporters occasionally physically assaulted protesters at rallies across the country during the 2016 campaign. In several instances, Trump supporters were also assaulted by protesters after exiting Trump rallies.

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