At Ohio rally, Donald Trump promises to repeal ObamaCare, calls press 'extremely dishonest'

(Image credit: Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images)

It was billed as way to say "thank you" to his supporters, but the event President-elect Donald Trump held Thursday night in Ohio felt more like one of his campaign rallies, complete with digs at the media and Hillary Clinton and a promise to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

After starting an hour late due to traffic, Trump called the press "extremely dishonest," and mocked earlier reports that predicted he wasn't going to win. The crowd booed, which Trump said he "loved," adding, "Should we go on with this a little bit longer?" He rehashed Election Night, and scoffed at Evan McMullin, the independent candidate who entered the race as a conservative alternative to Trump. Trump asserted that he won in a "landslide," and after mentioning Clinton, the crowd started to chant, "Lock her up." Several protesters interrupted his speech, drawing jeers from the crowd and a rebuke from Trump, who said, "They don't know Hillary lost a couple weeks ago." He also praised what he called major support from blacks, Hispanics, women, and law enforcement, adding, "For whatever reason, people in uniforms like Trump."

Trump confirmed that he has tapped Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis to lead the Defense Department, calling him "great" and saying the formal announcement will come Monday. Seemingly out of nowhere, he announced that "no one should be penalized for the decision to have a family," and later said he has "no choice" but to repeal and replace ObamaCare. At the end of the rally, Trump declared that this is an exciting time to be alive, but "the script is not yet written. We do not know what the next page will read. I'll tell you, it's going to be a great page."

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.