Puerto Rican Gov. Ricardo Rosselló is warning the Trump administration he will fight back against "bullying" Puerto Rico, amid tension between the island and the White House.

"If the bully gets close, I'll punch the bully in the mouth," Rosselló told CNN while speaking about a reportedly tense exchange at the White House on Wednesday. "It would be a mistake to confuse courtesy with courage."

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Trump has declined to discuss recovery efforts with Rosselló despite his and his aides' repeated requests, according to the news network.

"You guys have to f---ing stop with the meeting request," one White House official said, Puerto Rican officials told CNN.

Sources at the meeting added that White House trade adviser Peter Navarro told the group, "Your governor is f---ing things up."

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from CNN or The Hill.

"We need to confront the bullying that's happening in Puerto Rico, we need to confront the inequities and the inequality that we're dealing with," Rosselló told The Hill, adding that he will fight back against whoever bullies the U.S. territory.

"You don't fight back with kicking and screaming, you fight back with data. You fight back by educating, you fight back by bringing solutions, and that's what I'm committed to do, it's a different type of narrative," Rosselló said.

The reported encounter between Rosselló's aides and the White House occurred after a report surfaced that Trump had questioned whether it was necessary to send more hurricane relief to Puerto Rico, which was devastated by Hurricane Maria in 2017. The hurricane killed thousands and left even more without power.

The Washington Post reported that Trump broached the subject during a February meeting on Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) grants. He's since privately suggested that he won't approve of any more money for the island beyond food stamps.

"He doesn’t want another single dollar going to the island," a senior administration official told the Washington Post.

CNN reported that Trump also questioned the wisdom of directing more storm relief aid to Puerto Rico while speaking with GOP senators on Capitol Hill. He at one point noted that Puerto Rico has gotten more than $90 billion in aid, according to CNN.

CNN noted that Congress has appropriated $20 billion in disaster funding from HUD and that only $1.5 billion has been approved for spending.

White House spokesman Judd Deere defended the administration's efforts to respond to Hurricane Maria, saying that it is "committed to the complete recovery of Puerto Rico. The island has received unprecedented support and is on pace to receive tens of billions of dollars from taxpayers."

Rafael Bernal contributed.