Donald Trump said Thursday that he was being sarcastic when he asked Russian hackers to go after Hillary Clinton and dig out her emails.

The GOP nominee caused an uproar in both parties on Wednesday when he said: “Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing.”

“Of course I’m being sarcastic,” Trump said in an interview aired Thursday morning on “Fox & Friends.” “But you have 33,000 emails deleted, and the real problem is what was said on those emails from the Democratic National Committee. You take a look at what was said on those emails, it’s disgraceful.”

US authorities suspect Russia was behind hacks that showed DNC staffers showing their bias against underdog candidate Bernie Sanders, who waged a tough campaign against the eventual winner Clinton.

During the interview, Trump also said that Russian chief Vladimir Putin is a better leader than President Obama.

“He’s certainly doing a better job than Obama is,” Trump said.

House Speaker Paul Ryan, one of the nation’s most powerful Republicans, on Wednesday took Trump to task for his comments.

“Russia is a global menace led by a devious thug,” Ryan said in a statement. “Putin should stay out of this election.”