Trump quickly changes his tone toward protesters following criticism

President-elect Donald Trump hastily changed his tone toward protesters unhappy with his election, doing so just hours after coming under fire for criticizing demonstrations which took place in major cities across the country Thursday night.

"Love the fact that the small groups of protesters last night have passion for our great country," Trump wrote on Twitter early Friday morning.

The president-elect added: "We will all come together and be proud!"

The remarks stood in stark contrast to comments Trump made on Thursday night as protesters stormed the streets in cities like New York and Los Angeles.

"Just had a very open and successful presidential election," Trump wrote at the time. "Now professional protesters, incited by the media, are protesting. Very unfair!"

Protests in some cities descended into chaos on Thursday night. In Portland, an anti-Trump demonstration was declared a riot by police due to "extensive criminal and dangerous behavior." In Salt Lake City, protesters threatened reporters, according to reports from the scene.

Throughout his campaign, Trump stressed that he was the "law and order candidate." The Republican businessman has both promised to restore unity to the country as well as crack down on criminal behavior.