Donald Trump has returned to his campaign roots in his first major public appearance since Election Day, resembling the pugnacious, brawling campaigner more than the traditional president-to-be as he held court in front of thousands of adoring fans - and even announced a Cabinet pick from the stage.
Trump's first stop on this "Thank you" tour to salute his supporters was in Ohio and, ever the showman, he made the surprise announcement that he will be offering the post of Defence Secretary to retired Marine Corps General James Mattis.
Trump said he was supposed to unveil that Monday, so he jokingly warned the Cincinnati crowd to "not tell anyone".
The raucous rallies during the Trump campaign road show often had the feel of a rock concert, and Thursday night in Cincinnati had all the hallmarks of a reunion tour.
Trump took a veiled swipe at fellow Republicans. He remembered his general election foe by joking, "We had fun fighting Hillary, didn't we?"
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
He boasted about size of his victory and repeatedly bashed the media.
Protesters briefly interrupted the proceedings. And the crowd chanted "Build the Wall" and "Lock Her Up".
The president-elect had eased up on those campaign promises recently, suggesting the US-Mexico border wall could be part-fence and indicating no willingness to pursue criminal charges against Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton.
Perhaps befitting an encore presentation, the downtown arena that Trump packed in October - drawing a crowd that was one of the loudest of the campaign - was only about half-full on Thursday night.
But the thousands who were there cheered Trump as he declared to restore American to greatness, saying, "Now is not the time to downsize our dreams".
"Never again will anyone's interests come before the interests of the American people. It's not going to happen," Trump thundered. "The old rules no longer apply. Anything we want for our country is now possible."
Trump did nothing to downplay expectations before he takes office, declaring that "America will start winning again, big league".
Much like he did during the stretch run of the campaign, he read from teleprompters, but he was bombastic as ever, spending more than a dozen minutes bragging about his victory before outlining his economic plan.
And he stunned his own aides when he announced the Mattis pick from the stage.
Mattis, nicknamed "Mad Dog," is considered one of the foremost strategic thinkers of his generation but to gain confirmation as Pentagon chief, he would need Congress to waive a requirement that a defence secretary be a civilian for at least seven years before taking up the post.
Mattis retired as chief of US Central Command in 2013 after serving more than four decades in the Marine Corps. There is no sense of strong opposition to his nomination in Congress.
