PALM BEACH: President Donald Trump will bask in the adulation of supporters on Saturday as he holds a campaign-style rally in Florida, reconnecting with his base outside Washington after a stormy first month in office.
"Looking forward to the Florida rally tomorrow. Big crowd expected!" the Republican leader tweeted Friday evening.
Following a grievance-filled press conference that raised questions about his temperament, the real estate mogul is getting back to basics and back on script.
On Friday, he visited a Boeing plant in South Carolina and pitched himself as a champion of US jobs and industry.
"As your president, I'm going to do everything I can to unleash the power of the American spirit and to put our great people back to work," Trump said.
"This is our mantra, 'buy American and hire American.' We want products made in America, made by American hands," he said, pledging to wean the country off imports.
On the campaign trail, Trump tapped a rich seam of unease among American workers.
Although the unemployment rate is at a low five percent and wages are rising steadily, a triple whammy of deindustrialization, globalization and automation has battered the US heartland.
Trump repeatedly touted his business acumen and promised to transfer boardroom smarts to the Oval Office in order to bring back jobs.
But poor management and scandal have plagued his first month in office.
In four tumultuous weeks, Trump has seen his national security advisor ousted, a cabinet nominee withdraw, a centerpiece immigration policy fail in the courts and a tidal wave of damaging leaks.
The perception of a White House in disarray was further fueled as Trump's pick to replace national security advisor Michael Flynn turned down the job, leaving a glaring hole in the National Security Council.
Trump said Friday he was considering new candidates.
The president was spending his third consecutive weekend at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, and on Saturday he heads north to Melbourne, near Orlando, for a rally at 5 pm (2200 GMT).
The event will likely be reminiscent of his campaign trail appearances, with his cheering supporters providing a boost to Trump after he was frozen out by significant portions of the Washington establishment.
Trump was already on the offensive Friday evening. A day after a rambling press conference in which he blamed journalists for his administration's troubles, Trump tweeted that "FAKE NEWS media" was the "enemy of the American People," namiing several prominent outlets.
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