President Donald Trump told reporters on Air Force One that he has heard and read that the Democrats are “making a big mistake” by focusing their attention on the Russia story. | Getty Trump: Democrats overplayed their hand on 'the Russia thing'

President Donald Trump told reporters overnight that Democrats had overplayed their hand on what he called "the Russia thing," saying the American people don't believe the accusations against him.

“It's a witch hunt and they understand that,” Trump said in a gaggle with reporters en route to Paris on Air Force One, according to a pool report released Thursday. “When they say ‘treason’ — you know what treason is? That's Julius and Ethel Rosenberg for giving the atomic bomb, OK?”


Trump denies that his campaign colluded with the Russian government’s attempts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election, and he has continued to deny any improper conduct in the wake of revelations that his son Donald Trump Jr. met with a Kremlin-linked lawyer last year seeking dirt on Hillary Clinton.

Since details of that meeting surfaced last weekend, a few Democrats, including Clinton’s running mate, Sen. Tim Kaine, have questioned if Trump Jr.’s behavior might qualify as treasonous.

The Justice Department is investigating whether any Trump campaign associates colluded with Russia on the election interference effort, which included hacks of Democratic Party officials' emails.

Trump told reporters on Air Force One that he has heard and read that the Democrats are “making a big mistake” by focusing their attention on the Russia story.

"My people and the people that support me, who are incredible people, those people are angry because they feel it's being unfair and a witch hunt," Trump said.