Donald Trump. Jonathan Ernst/Getty Images

President Donald Trump hit back at a suggestion that a raucous speech last week to a gathering of Boy Scouts received a "mixed" reaction.

Trump made the remarks during an interview with The Wall Street Journal, the transcript of which was obtained by Politico.

During a back-and-forth with the Journal reporters in the room, Trump asked what they thought of his appearance on July 24 at the National Boy Scout Jamboree, which he said had the "biggest crowd they've ever had."

"I thought it was an interesting speech in the context of the Boy Scouts," one reporter said.

"Right," Trump replied.

"They seemed to get a lot of feedback from former scouts," the reporter said before Trump cut in to ask whether they had liked it.

The reporter responded, "It seemed mixed."

Trump disagreed with that assessment: "They loved it. It wasn't — it was no mix. That was a standing —"

"You got a good reaction inside the arena, that's right," the reporter said.

"From the time I walked out on the stage — because I know," Trump said, continuing his thought. "And by the way, I'd be the first to admit mixed. I'm a guy that will tell you mixed. There was no mix there. That was a standing ovation from the time I walked out to the time I left, and for five minutes after I had already gone. There was no mix."

Trump's speech drew criticism for its increasingly political tilt, as the president took shots at the media, former President Barack Obama, and his 2016 general-election opponent, Hillary Clinton.

"Boy, you have a lot of people here," Trump said at the beginning of the rally. "The press will say it's about 200 people. It looks like about 45,000 people."

He continued: "I said, 'Who the hell wants to speak about politics when I'm in front of the Boy Scouts.'"

However, he did just that for the duration of the speech.

"You know, I go to Washington, and I see all these politicians, and I see the swamp," he said. "And it's not a good place. In fact, today I said we ought to change it from the word 'swamp' to the word 'cesspool' or, perhaps, to the word 'sewer.' But it's not good. Not good. And I see what's going on, and, believe me, I'd much rather be with you. That I can tell you."

Trump also criticized Obama, who while in office turned down an invitation to speak at the Jamboree in protest of the Boy Scouts' policy at the time of disallowing gay members and leaders.

As he frequently does, Trump revisited the events of Election Day 2016 at the rally.

"Do you remember that famous night on television, November 8, where they said, these dishonest people, where they said, 'There is no path to victory for Donald Trump'?" Trump said while pointing at members of the media. "Do you remember that incredible night with the maps, and the Republicans are red and the Democrats are blue, and that map was so red it was unbelievable, and they didn't know what to say."

Trump continued praising his Boy Scouts appearance during the interview with The Journal, telling the reporters in the room that he had received a call "from the head of the Boy Scouts saying it was the greatest speech that was ever made to them."

He continued: "And they were very thankful. So there was — there was no mix."

Boy Scouts of America officials pushed back on Trump's claim. According to Time magazine, the organization was "unaware of any call from national leadership placed to the White House" about Trump's speech.

It told the publication that a statement from its chief scout executive, Michael Surbaugh, released on Thursday in response to the backlash over Trump's speech "speaks for itself."

"I want to extend my sincere apologies to those in our scouting family who were offended by the political rhetoric that was inserted into the Jamboree," Surbaugh said. "That was never our intent."

The organization has aimed to distance itself from Trump's political rhetoric.

"The Boy Scouts of America is wholly nonpartisan and does not promote any one position, product, service, political candidate, or philosophy," the organization said in a statement on July 25. "The invitation for the sitting US president to visit the National Jamboree is a long-standing tradition and is in no way an endorsement of any political party or specific policies."