Donald Trump has used Thanksgiving Day to pause and be thankful - for himself.
On Thursday at his private Mar-a-Lago club, the US president was asked by reporters what he was most thankful for.
"For having a great family, and for having made a tremendous difference in this country. I've made a tremendous difference in the country," he said.
"This country is so much stronger now than it was when I took office ... People can't even believe it."
He said foreign leaders regularly compliment him on the US' growing strength.
Mr Trump also undertook the holiday custom of calling members of the military. But unlike his predecessors, he struck an unusually political tone.
"It's a disgrace," Mr Trump said of judges who have blocked his attempts to overhaul US immigration law, as he linked his efforts to secure the border with military missions overseas.
Mr Trump asked a US Coast Guard commander about trade, which he noted was "a very big subject" for him personally.
"We've been taken advantage of for many, many years by bad trade deals," Mr Trump told the commander, who sheepishly replied that, "We don't see any issues in terms of trade right now."
Mr Trump later threatened to close the US border with Mexico for an undisclosed period of time if his administration determines Mexico has lost "control" on its side.
"I hope that you'll take solace in knowing that all of the American families you hold so close to your heart are all doing well," he told the military.
"The nation's doing well economically, better than anywhere in the world."
- Additional reporting: AAP
