Combative Trump declares: ‘Now is the time for action’

OXON HILL, United States: US President Donald Trump rallied his loyal supporters with a stridently populist and security-dominated message ON Friday, declaring the start of a new political era of action.

"The era of empty talk is over. It’s over. Now is the time for action," Trump told battalions of conservatives gathered just outside Washington.

A combative Trump deployed tough rhetoric on immigrants, crime and the media, as he wooed once-skeptical conservatives at their annual meeting.

With his Republican administration mired by multiple missteps and strong disapproval ratings, Trump tried to go on the offensive.

He vowed to keep "radical Islamic terrorists... the hell out of our country," again citing the examples of Sweden, Germany and France as places where immigration has led to crime, including the terror attacks in Paris and Nice.

He was met by euphoric chants of "USA, USA." Trump also renewed his evisceration of the "fake" media -- at length.