Mollie Bryant

The (Jackson, Miss.) Clarion-Ledger

BILOXI, Miss. — Donald Trump railed against the country's leaders in Washington, the Islamic State, illegal immigrants and the media during an hourlong rally where he courted receptive voters in the Magnolia State.

The campaign appearance Saturday was his first in public in Mississippi since the 1990s when he attempted to build a casino and aquarium in Gulfport.

"It's like a love fest," Trump said of the ticketholder-only event at the Gulf Coast Coliseum. "People are so tired of the incompetence. They're so tired of stupidity."

The candidate for the GOP presidential nomination shifted briskly from one topic to another, taking about 10 minutes of his speech to attack "corrupt" media there to cover him. No recent polls of Mississippi Republican voters, who have their primary March 8, have been taken, but RealClearPolitics shows averages of national polls taken before the holidays give Trump a more than 15-percentage-point spread over the next most popular politician, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.

Trump regularly has expressed opposition to Syrian refugees settling in the United States, and the Mississippi rally was no exception.

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"We have no idea who they are and where they come from," he said. "I think maybe it is the ultimate Trojan horse."

Trump's appearance in Biloxi followed reports that Al Shabaab, a Somali al-Qaeda affiliate, issued a recruitment video with a clip of Trump speaking after the Dec. 2 shooting in San Bernadino, Calif. The video includes Trump's statements in support of banning Muslims from entering the United States.

His position has drawn criticism from Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton, who said before the video's release that the Islamic State was using his statements in propaganda videos.

Trump took a milder approach than he has in the past, making no mention of the videos, the Islamic faith or Muslims when discussing the Islamic State and Middle East. He simultaneously was critical of the Iraq War and advocated for enlarging the country's military.

"I'm going to build our military so strong, so powerful," he said. "We'll never have to use it hopefully," which transitioned into, "I'm someone who believes in the military, but you've got to know how to use it."

He touched on plans announced Tuesday to begin spending millions on television advertising in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina — the first three states that will make their choices for GOP nominee known. Thus far, he has spent $300,000 compared to former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who has spent more than $40 million.

"I'm going to start spending quite a lot of money because I want to be sure," Trump said. "Until now I've loved it because I've spent less than anyone else and had the best results. That's what should happen with our country."

At one point, Trump interrupted his unscripted stump speech to criticize videographers at the event for not panning their cameras to show the crowd.

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"Spin the camera," he told one, and at one point he said, "They're really dishonest people. I might fire his a-- right now."

"The people are really smart," Trump said. "They get it. They know how crooked the system is. They know how crooked these reporters are, many of them."

Trump did not make himself available for questions before or after the event and is scheduled for five events in five states through Saturday. Only appearances in Claremont, N.H., and Clear Lake, Iowa, appear to be in smaller-than-coliseum venues.

Trump also attacked his rivals, particularly Clinton.

"Everyone knows she should be in jail," he said, bringing up her decision while working for the State Department to use a private email account and server. "What she did with the emails was a disgrace. She shouldn't be allowed to run."

Trump mentioned goals to get rid of both the Affordable Care Act and Common Core education standards and returned to his plans to build a wall between the United States and Mexico — even bigger than the Great Wall of China.

"This will be a real wall," he said. "Let people come into the country, but they're coming into the country legally."

Trump has been described as a polarizing figure, but the same positions that have drawn criticism have attracted admirers, who say they support his tell-it-like-it-is attitude.

"He's not trying to be politically correct," said Kathy Rogers of Hattiesburg, Miss. "He brings up issues and what he believes in and doesn't care about what anyone else says."

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Hjalmberi Shytox of Purvis, Miss., also favors Trump's lack of political correctness.

"The state is more or less dead," he said. "I see Trump as a way to get back to where we were. … I believe in my heart if Hillary Clinton is elected, we might as well put a tombstone on this country."

Trump is the second presidential candidate to campaign in Mississippi this election season after Ohio Gov. John Kasich's visit last year.

Follow Mollie Bryant on Twitter: @MollieEBryant