A tall figure with perfectly coifed blond hair approached the stage nimbly, a spring in his step as the cheers grew louder. Signs flew into the air as a sea of people saw the man they believe will make America great once more.
He stepped toward the podium. The crowd roared.
In front of the thousands of people, many wearing bright red baseball caps emblazoned with his slogan -- “Make America Great Again” -- Trump was home.
“I'm here because I want to be among my friends and among the people," Trump said.
Saturday’s rally at the Orlando-Melbourne Airport was President Donald Trump’s first foray into the widely public eye since he took the oath of office just a month ago.
It was nearly identical to the campaign events which swept the nation as Trump turned from reality TV star and billionaire businessman to the 45th president of the United States.
The crowd grew as 9,000 packed into the airport hangar. A sense of optimism and excitement seeped through the masses, some of whom traveled for hours to see the man they had cast their votes for in November.
People of all ages showed their support for Trump. Several protesters also showed up at the rally, but their numbers were minuscule and their commotion was drowned out, overwhelmed by the number of supporters. As Air Force One rolled into the hangar, some were so overcome with emotion, they fainted on the floor. Even high schoolers came out, pledging their loyalty to Trump before they're even old enough to vote.
"I'm so excited to be here," said Brooke Rao of Melbourne, who attended other rallies on the campaign trail. Rao said the upbeat vibe was similar to other pro-Trump events she had been to, but observed Saturday's crowd was smaller than campaign rallies.
Trump covered a plethora of topics, from cracking down on crime to his newsmaker immigration executive order, which temporarily banned refugees from entering the U.S.
"They are right now being thrown out of the country and they will not be let back in," Trump said on criminals.
Trump also talked about building a wall on the Mexico border and at one point invited a Boynton Beach man who waited in line for 13 hours to join him onstage.
"I wouldn’t say that Secret Service was thrilled with that, but we know our people, right?” Trump said to the cheering masses.
Some of Trump's supporters even traveled across state lines to see their beloved president.
Rita Long, who came to the rally from Georgia, said she voted for Trump because she thought he was honest.
"He was the most trustworthy," she said, smiling as she watched Trump take the stage.
White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said the rally was being run by Trump’s campaign team. Trump filed for reelection the day he took office, but has made no formal announcements that he’s interested in running again four years from now.
Trump has had a rocky start during his first three weeks as president. The last 29 days have been filled with expansive executive orders, Cabinet appointment controversy and relentless attacks on the mainstream media.
Saturday’s rally gave Trump the chance to get his mojo back after his first month on the job.
As the crowd chanted and cheered, Trump was right back where he belonged, where he pledged to keep doing what his adoring voters put him in the White House to do.
"We will make America safe again," Trump yelled. "We will make America great again, greater than ever before."
Reach reporter Allison Nielsen by email at allison@sunshinestatenews.com or follow her on Twitter: @AllisonNielsen.
