President Donald Trump has launched another fierce attack on the media at a “campaign rally for America” event in Melbourne, Florida.

He told the crowd the media did not want “to report the truth” and had their own agenda.

President Trump also defended the achievements of his presidency so far, insisting that a spirit of optimism was sweeping the United States.

He had attacked the media at a press conference on February 16, as pressure mounted on his presidency.

President Trump’s national security adviser Michael Flynn quit earlier in the week. Donald Trump is to interview candidates for the role on February 19.

Image source Flickr

On February 18, Donald Trump and his wife Melania were greeted by thousands of supporters at the rally in a state he won in November’s election, while hundreds protested outside.

In his speech, Donald Trump said he wanted to speak to Americans “without the filter of fake news”.

Describing the media as “dishonest”, the president repeated his assertion that some outlets “don’t want to report the truth” and were making up their stories about him.

He said: “We will continue to expose them.”

It is unusual for a sitting president to hold a rally in the style of those held during election campaigns.

Throughout the week, President Trump launched attacks on the media while indicating his excitement at facing crowds in Florida again.

On February 16, Donald Trump held a 76-minute press conference where he told reporters their level of dishonesty was out of control, citing coverage of his campaign’s alleged contacts with Moscow.

Michael Flynn, President Trump’s national security adviser, resigned on February 13 after he misled VP Mike Pence about whether he had discussed US sanctions with Russia’s ambassador before his own appointment.

Meanwhile, the New York Times reported earlier this week that members of Donald Trump’s campaign and other Trump associates had repeated contacts with senior Russian intelligence officials in the year before the election.

While in Florida, President Trump is staying at his Mar-a-Lago resort for the third weekend in succession. In a tweet, he referred to the property as the “Southern White House”, although the private club is part of Donald Trump’s portfolio and is not government property.