Trump Renews Vow to 'Destroy Terrorists, Make America Safe Again'

During the latest stop on Donald Trump's "thank you" tour, the president-elect reiterated his promise to make America safe and secure again.

With defense secretary nominee Gen. James "Mad Dog" Mattis at his side, Trump told a crowd in Fayetteville, North Carolina, that military families and veterans will be among his top priorities.

"We will rebuild our military and alliances, destroy terrorists, face our enemies head-on and make America safe again," he insisted.

Trump again pledged to rebuild America's crumbling infrastructure, cut both business and personal taxes, repeal and replace Obamacare and stop illegal immigration.

Mattis said he was grateful for the opportunity to return to the troops and their families at the Pentagon.

"With our allies strengthened, with our country strengthened, I look forward to being a civilian leader as long as the Congress gives me the waiver and the Senate votes to consent, " the retired Marine general said.

A waiver is needed because Mattis has only been out of the military for three years. Current law prevents former military officers from heading the defense department less than seven years after retirement.

House Republicans said they put the waiver in the upcoming budget bill, but at least one Democrat in the U.S. Senate -- New York's Kirsten Gillibrand -- says she opposes a waiver for Mattis because "civilian control of the military is a fundamental principle of American democracy."

Meanwhile, Mattis may have more challenges ahead. If he gets the waiver and is approved as the nation's next secretary of defense, one of his first tasks may be to reform wasteful Pentagon spending and the department's bloated procurement process.

The Washington Post reported that a 2015 Pentagon study found more than $125 billion in wasted administrative spending that could have been saved.

Current Defense Secretary Ash Carter is being accused of stifling the findings.

"It was 100 percent approved and the secretary stopped the process," alleges Robert "Bobby" Stein, former chair of the Defense Business Board.

The Pentagon says the allegation is false.

Meanwhile, Trump took on government contractor Boeing over cost overruns for the new presidential jet.

"The plane is totally out of control. It's going to be over $4 billion for the Air Force One program and I think it's ridiculous. I think Boeing is doing a little bit of a number. We want Boeing to make a little money, but not that much money," Trump said.

And just days after announcing a deal with Carrier Air Conditioning to keep jobs in the U.S., Trump disclosed another agreement -- this time with the Japanese bank that owns Sprint. The president-elect made the announcement at Trump Tower with Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son.

"He's (Masayoshi Son) just agreed to invest $50 billion in the United States and 50,000 jobs," announced Trump.

Meanwhile, more administration jobs were on the mind of the transition team, including Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, who's expected to get Trump's nod for ambassador to China.