Trump Calls Reporter ‘Rude’ for Asking If He Pressed Putin on Election Meddling: ‘We Didn’t Discuss’

Considering he thinks the Mueller report totally exonerated him in the Russia investigation, President Trump still seems very touchy if you ask him about it.

Trump reportedly spent over an hour on the phone with Russian president Vladimir Putin on Friday morning, during which the two leaders agreed they had not colluded to help Trump win the 2016 election. What they apparently did not discuss was another conclusion of the Mueller report that Russian military intelligence ran an influence campaign on social media to support Trump and tear down Hillary Clinton, helping Trump to win.

During an Oval Office press gaggle later, Trump said that during the call, Putin “said something to the effect of it started off as a mountain and ended up as a mouse. But he knew that, because he knew there was no collusion whatsoever.”

NBC’s Kristen Welker pressed Trump by asking if he had warned Putin not to meddle in the 2020 election. To which Trump, glaring, said, “I’m answering this question. You are very rude.”

Asked again if he told Putin not to meddle, Trump said, “We didn’t discuss that.”

To Trump, “collusion” and “meddling” are one and the same. His ego doesn’t allow him to disentangle the former from the latter. As far as he’s concerned, if the first didn’t happen, there is no need to be on guard against the second.

Russia has a green light to meddle in the 2020 election. And why not? America’s president certainly does not mind, so long as no one accuses him of knowing about it.

Watch the clip up top, via MSNBC.