(CNN) President Donald Trump said on Thursday he did not know about a $130,000 payment made to the adult film actress Stormy Daniels for her silence, his first public acknowledgment of the scandal surrounding an alleged sexual affair that has plagued him for months.

"No," a terse Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One when questioned about his knowledge of the payment, which was made by his private attorney Michael Cohen in the month before the 2016 election.

The one word response broke a months-long public silence from Trump on the matter, though he's fumed about the issue in private and adamantly denied to his associates Daniels' claim he had an affair with her in 2006.

An agitated Trump tried to move quickly on -- "What else?" he asked after responding -- but reporters in the press cabin continued their questioning, asking why Cohen made the payment.

"You'll have to ask Michael Cohen," Trump said. "Michael is my attorney. You'll have to ask Michael."

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