A combative President Trump on Wednesday got into an angry confrontation with reporters at a White House news conference Wednesday.

After CNN’s Jim Acosta pressed him on why he characterized a caravan of a few thousand Central American asylum seekers hundreds of miles from the US border “an invasion,” the president erupted.

“Honestly I think you should let me run the country, you run CNN and if you did it well, your ratings would be much higher,” Trump said, adding “That’s enough. That’s enough. That’s enough. Excuse me, that’s enough,” as Acosta tried to follow up.

But the CNN anchor persisted, asking the president about special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe.

“That’s enough. Put down the mic. I’ll tell you what, CNN should be ashamed of itself having you working for them. You are a rude, terrible person. You shouldn’t be working for CNN. You’re a very rude person. The way you treat Sarah Huckabee is horrible. You shouldn’t treat people that way,” he said, referring to his spokeswoman, who frequently spars with reporters during press briefings.

A White House aide tried to take the microphone from Acosta, but he wouldn’t give it up, before finally relenting.

When NBC’s Peter Alexander defended Acosta, Trump replied: “I’m not a big fan of yours. Just sit down, please.”

He also told Urban Radio’s April Ryan to sit down, and hectored other reporters for shouting questions at him.

Sanders could be seen laughing at the president’s verbal sparring with the press.