Besieged by controversy and sagging poll numbers, US President Donald Trump returned to the familiar, welcoming territory of a rally surrounded by adoring, placard waving supporters.
It was vintage, defiant pre-election victory Mr Trump on stage in the Phoenix Convention Center in Arizona as he repeatedly abandoned his teleprompter and headed off on familiar rants.
"I don't believe that any president has accomplished as much as this president in the first six or seven months," Mr Trump told the crowd on Tuesday.
Mr Trump's performance, however, was met with criticism.
James Clapper, the former director of US National Intelligence, described it as "scary and disturbing" and questioning the president's fitness to be in office.
Outside the event police used gas, smoke, pepper spray and flash grenades to disperse protesters who threw bottles and other projectiles across barricades at officers.
Mr Trump used a large portion of his remarks to defend his response to the recent deadly racial violence in Charlottesville, Virginia.
He also bragged about pulling the US out of the "disastrous" Trans-Pacific Partnership with Australia and 10 other nations and slammed the "job killing Paris climate accord".
"People have no idea how bad that was for this country," Mr Trump said.
"Great for other countries.
"We were like the lap dog."
The president also predicted he would kill the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico.
"I think we will end up probably terminating NAFTA at some point," Mr Trump told the crowd.
The president tied immigration to terror attacks, including the recent Barcelona carnage that left 13 people dead, including Australian boy Julian Cadman, and injured 120 others.
Mr Trump, who angrily accepted the Australian-US asylum-seeker deal negotiated by former president Barack Obama and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, again vowed "extreme vetting" for potential immigrants.
"You look at what just happened in Spain and so many other places," Mr Trump said.
"Nope, we are really vetting.
"We're tough.
"Does anyone want me to be soft on the vetting?
"Extreme vetting - I came up with that term.
"That's what it has to be."
Echoing US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's remarks on a potential breakthrough with North Korea, Mr Trump said he believed the regime's leader Kim Jong-un "is starting to respect us".
"Maybe, probably not, but maybe something positive can come about," Mr Trump said.
