President-elect Donald Trump addressed a mostly-filled crowd of supporters at the U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati on Thursday. The most notable statement came when Trump announced his intentions to appoint former U.S. Marine General James “Mad Dog” Mattis to his cabinet for secretary of defense. 

“We’re going to appoint ‘Mad Dog’ (Mattis) to secretary of defense, but we’re not announcing it until Monday,” Trump remarked to loud applause. 

Trump also began his speech by thanking Ohio, which he successfully secured in the General Election. He stated that the support from the Buckeye state was instrumental in his victory. 

“I’m here to say thank you to Ohio,” Trump said. 

Ohio State Treasurer Josh Mandel and Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin began the “thank you” tour by stating their respective support for Trump.

Vice President-elect Mike Pence followed and spoke briefly on the economy, as well as intentions to repeal “Obamacare” before introducing Trump shortly after 7:45 pm. 

Trump touched on several familiar topics throughout his speech, which lasted just under an hour. He spoke about including job growth and restoring the American Dream. Trump also discussed his victory in the General Election, thanking the voters of Ohio and that “we had a lot of fun fighting Hillary,” in regards to his victory in securing the presidency. 

After exciting the crowd with his selection for secretary of defense, Trump laid out his plans for the economy, including “massively lowering taxes” and “eliminating wasteful regulations that limit our companies.” 

At the conclusion of his speech, he expressed his sympathy for The Ohio State University after the attack that occurred on its campus at the beginning of this week.

“The job of the president is to keep America safe, and that will always be my highest priority,” Trump said.

Trump will continue his ‘thank you’ tour by heading to Des Moines, Iowa, according to Bloomberg.com.

Matt Poe is a senior reporter, contact him at [email protected].