Trump to CPAC: 'Now you finally have a president'

President Donald Trump declared himself among friends as he delivered a campaign-style speech Friday at an annual gathering of conservative activists. He told the crowd that the movement he built during his campaign represents the future of the Republican Party.

"Now you finally have a president," Trump said, promising that "the forgotten men and women of America will be forgotten no more."

With his appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Maryland, Trump became the first sitting president since Ronald Reagan to address the group during his first year in office. After taking the stage to Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the U.S.A.," Trump pledged to return often.

The wide-ranging speech amounted to a victory lap for Trump and chance to recount his campaign promises as well as thank a wing of the party with which he has not always been in sync.

Trump, who campaigned as more of a populist than conservative, told his audience that his victory represented a "movement the likes of which the world has never seen before."

"The core conviction of our movement is that we are a nation that put and will put its own citizens first," Trump said, prompting the crowd to chant: "U.S.A.! U.S.A.!"

Trump's speech followed several well-received appearances at the four-day gathering by senior members of his administration, including a speech Thursday night by Vice President Mike Pence.

During his remarks, Trump said that in days, he would have a "brand-new action" to keep the country safe, a reference to a second attempt at an order to restrict travel into the country.

Trump cited a series of terrorist attacks overseas and said: "We have to be smart, folks. We can't let it happen to us. … We are going to keep radical Islamic terrorists the hell out of our country."

"I will never ever, ever apologize for protecting the safety and security of the American people," Trump said, adding that he's willing to get bad press for doing so.

Trump portrayed his fledgling administration as one of action, ticking off multiple fronts on which he's moved: pulling out of a major trade deal, reducing regulations, cracking down on illegal immigrants and clearing the way for oil pipelines.

Trump also touted his efforts to "massively lower taxes" and replace the Affordable Care Act, which he called "the disaster known as Obamacare," to applause.

He pledged "one of the greatest military buildups in American history" and to "totally obliterate" the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant. "Nobody will dare question our military might again," Trump said.

The president also reprised his core campaign promise of building a U.S.-Mexico border wall.

"For too long, we've traded away our jobs to other countries. We've defended other nations' borders while leaving ours wide open," Trump said, prompting cries to "build a wall." Trump pledged that construction of the wall on the border with Mexico would begin soon, even though it is unclear where the money will come from.

"We're going to build a wall, don't worry about it," the president said.

Trump used the opening of his remarks to again denounce the media, saying that many stories about his administration are "fake news" with stories that rely on anonymous sources. Trump pointed to a Washington Post story that cited nine current and former intelligence sources who said Trump's former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn discussed U.S. sanctions on Russia with that country's ambassador before Trump took office.

Trump's fledgling administration has given conservatives plenty to cheer, including many Cabinet selections and Trump's pledges to repeal the Affordable Care Act and pursue sweeping tax reform. During his speech, he called his victory "a win for conservative values."