ORLANDO, Fla. — President-elect Donald Trump tried to tamp down supporters calling to “lock up” Hillary Clinton by telling them while they were "vicious" before the election, "now you’re laid back, you’re cool, you’re mellow."
But his words seemed not to have their intended effect — a supporter threw an empty water bottle at a reporter after the event ended.
Trump made the comments after the supporters in the crowd began a typical “lock her up!” chant in reference to Hillary Clinton. "Oh, that's so, so terrible," Trump said.
"So here's what I noticed: Four weeks ago, just prior to, and always prior to, you people were vicious, violent, screaming, 'Where's the wall? We want the wall!' Screaming, 'Prison! Prison! Lock her up!,'" Trumps said. "I mean, you are going crazy."
But now, he said, "it’s much different."
"Now you’re laid back, you’re cool, you’re mellow, right? You’re basking in the glow of victory!” Trump said.
It was an implicit acknowledgement Trump has fueled his supporters' anger and frustration to win the election, in part by provoking their opposition to Democrat Hillary Clinton. "Lock her up!" was one of his most popular chants and could be heard at nearly every one of his campaign rallies.
Many of his supporters still say they want to see Clinton prosecuted, but Trump and his aides have walked the prospect back, saying they have bigger priorities to focus on.
Trump acknowledged to supporters at a rally in Michigan last week that he didn’t really plan to follow through on the chant now that he’s elected.
"That plays great before the election. Now, we don't care, right?" he said at the time in an unusually blunt remark, even for the notoriously gaffe-prone Trump.
Though Trump told the crowd they were "mellow," his Orlando audience — which filled an outdoor amphitheater on the Central Florida Fairgrounds — remained energetic throughout his hour-long rally.
Despite being billed as a "thank you" rally, Trump spent much devoted most of his speech to touting his own election-night experience and wins.
During the event, Trump led the crowd in booing the press pen for their "dishonesty" because they fail to show his crowd sizes on TV, a tactic that’s become a mainstay of his rallies.
His comments prompted chants of "CNN sucks!" An attendee threw an empty water bottle at a CNN reporter as he exited the grounds, while other attendees admonishing the press pen for being "dishonest" and "liars" as they trickled out.
One glaring omission from Trump’s remarks: The news that the FBI now agrees with the CIA’s assessment that Russia got involved in the U.S. election specifically to help him win. He made no mention of the news at all, preferring to focus instead on himself.