President Trump Donald John TrumpBiden on Trump's refusal to commit to peaceful transfer of power: 'What country are we in?' Romney: 'Unthinkable and unacceptable' to not commit to peaceful transition of power Two Louisville police officers shot amid Breonna Taylor grand jury protests MORE on Friday gave a tongue-in-cheek acknowledgement of The New York Times after the newspaper reported that the FBI sent an investigator posing as a research assistant to meet with then-Trump campaign adviser George PapadopoulosGeorge Demetrios PapadopoulosTale of two FBI cases: Clinton got warned, Trump got investigated Trump says he would consider pardons for those implicated in Mueller investigation New FBI document confirms the Trump campaign was investigated without justification MORE in 2016.

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"Finally, Mainstream Media is getting involved - too 'hot' to avoid. Pulitzer Prize anyone?" Trump tweeted, praising the fact that the Times "finally" put the story on the front page.

"This is bigger than WATERGATE, but the reverse!" Trump added.

The tweet appeared to be prompted by a chyron on "Fox & Friends" that read "NYT Details Effort to Spy on Trump 2016 Campaign."

Finally, Mainstream Media is getting involved - too “hot” to avoid. Pulitzer Prize anyone? The New York Times, on front page (finally), “Details effort to spy on Trump Campaign.” @foxandfriends This is bigger than WATERGATE, but the reverse! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 3, 2019

The Times reported Thursday that the undercover investigator met with Papadopoulos at a London bar, where she asked him about whether the campaign was working with Moscow.

The report is likely to fuel Trump's claims that there was "spying" on his 2016 campaign. Attorney General William Barr Bill BarrHarris faces pivotal moment with Supreme Court battle Hillicon Valley: DOJ proposes tech liability shield reform to Congress | Treasury sanctions individuals, groups tied to Russian malign influence activities | House Republican introduces bill to set standards for self-driving cars McCarthy threatens motion to oust Pelosi if she moves forward with impeachment MORE has said he believes "spying did occur," and that he is looking into whether it was properly predicated.

Trump has been fixated on the fallout from special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, seeking to put the spotlight on his adversaries and stonewall efforts to delve further into Mueller's findings.

The president's focus on surveillance of his campaign comes despite tweeting late Thursday that there should be "no more costly & time consuming investigations."

"OK, so after two years of hard work and each party trying their best to make the other party look as bad as possible, it’s time to get back to business," he tweeted, calling on Democrats and Republicans to address infrastructure, immigration and drug prices.

...at every turn in attempts to gain access. But now Republicans and Democrats must come together for the good of the American people. No more costly & time consuming investigations. Lets do Immigration (Border), Infrastructure, much lower drug prices & much more - and do it now! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 2, 2019

The tweet is at odds with Trump's public comments calling for an investigation into the origins of Mueller's probe.

The Trump campaign issued an official statement responding to the Times report saying "it is high time to investigate the investigators."