White House counselor Kellyanne Conway slammed Jim Acosta as 'a smart ass' on Tuesday after the CNN reporter asked her if President Donald Trump will 'tell the truth' in his Oval Office address on the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Conway, speaking to reporters in the White House driveway, didn't hold back on her contempt for Acosta, telling him she was the 'only one around here who gives you the time of day' - a likely reference to her fellow administration officials - and that 'a lot of these people don't like you' in reference to the members of the media watching the exchange.

The 60 second back-and-forth came ahead of Trump's primetime speech on border security Tuesday night as the White House and Democrats remain at an impasse on ending the partial government shutdown.

Administration officials have been defending the president's demand for $5.6 billion in border spending for his wall before he'll agree to reopen the government. Conway was coming off an appearance on Fox News when she spoke to reporters in the White House drive way.

Kellyanne Conway called CNN reporter Jim Acosta a 'smart ass'

Conway told Acosta: 'This is why I'm one of the only people around here who gives you the time of day'

Conway talked about the importance of border security and said the president was considering declaring a national emergency in his Oval Office address.

About five minutes in, Acosta asked a question, sparking the fiery exchange:

Acosta: 'Can you promise that the president will tell the truth tonight? Will he tell the truth?'

Conway: 'Yes Jim and can you promise that you will?'

Acosta: 'I will. Absolutely.'

Conway: 'The whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you god. Am I allowed to mention God to you?'

Acosta: 'I'm not the one that has the alternative facts problem like you do. Will the president tell the truth?'

Conway: 'Make sure that goes viral.'

Acosta: 'Okay.'

(crosstalk)

Conway: 'This is why I'm one of the only people around here who gives you the time of day.'

Acosta: 'Can you guarantee that the president's speech will pass a fact check?'

Conway: 'Let me get back in your face because you're such a smart ass most of the time and I know you want this to go viral, a lot of these people don't like you. But just let me be respectful to the media at large as I always am, I explained that was alternative information and additional facts and I explained it many times. And don't you put it back it my face for all the corrections that your network needs to issue. I was on your network 25 or 26 times in 2018 and I'm one of the last people here that even bothers to go on. And the disrespect that you show to me personally, I'll just...'

Acosta: 'Ma'am I just asked you if the president will tell the truth tonight.'

Conway: 'Don't call me ma'am just to make it up.'

Conway, speaking to reporters in the White House driveway, didn't hold back on her contempt for Acosta

Acosta asked her if President Trump would tell the truth in his Oval Office address Tuesday night

In the exchange, when Acosta mentioned 'alternative facts,' he was referring to a phrase Conway first used in 2017 to clarify what then press secretary Sean Spicer said in his briefing when he argued Trump has the biggest crowd ever for his inauguration.

Conway, in the back-and-forth, also defended her response to the White House's claim that 4,000 known or suspected terrorists were caught last year trying to cross the border to argue for a wall between the U.S. and Mexico.

The administration has struggled to provide clear numbers on the exchange number of terrorists who cross between the U.S. and Mexico border.

Only 12 were caught at the southern border between October 2017 and 2018, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data.

Conway had said earlier Tuesday that White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders made an 'unfortunate misstatement' when she made the claim during an appearance on 'Fox News Sunday.'

She is not the first administration official to get into it with Acosta.

The CNN reporter had his White House credential pulled in November after a contentious exchange with President Trump in an East Room press conference.

Acosta got into a heated verbal back-and-forth with Trump that resulted in the president telling him to 'sit down' as the journalist wrestled with a female aide to keep her from passing the mic to another journalist.

A federal judge ultimately ordered his press pass returned.

Acosta has also battled with Sanders in the White House briefing room.