Trump: Post-Election, Florida Supporters Have Gone From 'Mean and Vicious' to 'Cool and Mellow'

— Orlando, FL -- President-elect Donald Trump took his thank-you tour to the battleground state of Florida on Friday night — his first time holding a rally there since winning the election.

The Sunshine State was his most visited battleground state during the campaign; he spent 19 days there since clinching the nomination May 26.

Trump kicked off his rally thanking the "incredible" people of Florida, whom he later called out for being "vicious" and violent during the campaign.

"Four weeks ago, just prior to, you people were vicious, violent, screaming, 'We want the wall,' screaming 'Prison, prison, lock her up!' You were going crazy. I mean, you were nasty and mean and vicious, and you wanted to win, right?" he said at the Central Florida Fairgrounds complex. "But now it's much different. Now you're laid back, you're cool, you're mellow, right? You're basking in the glory of victory."

During the campaign, he defended his supporters, saying they should respond if anti-Trump protesters provoked them.

"If you see somebody getting ready to throw a tomato, knock the crap out of them, would you? Seriously, OK? Just knock the hell ... I promise you I will pay for the legal fees. I promise, I promise," Trump said told supporters in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on the day of the state's GOP caucuses.

In addition to thanking his supporters, Trump finally identified the person he frequently mentioned at his rallies as "that guy from Utah": former independent presidential candidate Evan McMullin. But Trump didn't exactly call McMullin by his proper name, referring to him as "McMuffin" after that was shouted by a supporter in the crowd.

"That's correct, that's his name," Trump said. "I never heard of this guy before."

Days before the election, McMullin tweeted a photo of himself and his running mate, Mindy Finn, holding Egg McMuffin, writing, "McMuffins for McMuFinn. #McMullinFinn."

Trump did not address President Barack Obama's final scheduled news conference or Russia or Aleppo. But for the second time that week, Trump brought up the need for safe zones to protect refugees.

"So we are going to start using our head. We are going to do things right and try to patch that up and try to help people. We'll build safe zones," Trump told his supporters. "We are going to build safe zones in Syria. We are going to build safe zones. And we are going to get the Gulf states to pay for the safe zones, and we'll try on help people. We are going to try, and we are going to get it done."

On Saturday, Trump is expected to make the final stop on his thank-you tour, in Mobile, Alabama.