Tom Hanks explains why he sent an espresso machine to White House press corps The actor said, "Those poor bastards need coffee."

 -- Reporters in the White House press corps covering the Trump administration were surprised when they were given a new espresso machine last month, courtesy of Tom Hanks.

The actor recently explained why he sent the machine, complete with coffee.

"I've done that for Democrats and Republican administrations because those poor bastards need coffee," Hanks said Friday night on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert."

In fact, the tradition dates back to 2004.

"I have a feeling the problem now is there's an awful lot of spit coffee on people's laps," the actor quipped, pretending to spit out coffee. "Are you kidding me?! I think ... that might be happening."

Hanks said he got the idea to buy the White House press corps a new coffee machine after visiting the iconic building and noticing the reporters only had "this old Mr. Coffee," Hanks said.

Back in March, reporters tweeted a picture of the machine, thanking Hanks for the gift.

The espresso machine was accompanied by a typewritten note, a nod to Hanks' love of typewriters.

"Keep up the good fight for Truth, Justice, and the American Way," the note read. "Especially for the Truth part."