The Mexican government Wednesday denied reports that President Trump threatened its president that he would send U.S. troops to stop “bad hombres down there” unless the Mexican military acts, The Los Angeles Times reported.

The government denied the report in a tweet, saying, such a threat “did not happen.”

The Associated Press, citing a transcript of the conversation it obtained, reported earlier that Trump made the threat in a phone call.

"You have a bunch of bad hombres down there," Trump told President Pena Nieto, according to the excerpt seen by the AP. "You aren't doing enough to stop them. I think your military is scared. Our military isn't, so I just might send them down to take care of it."

A White House spokesman did not respond to requests for comment.

A person with access to the official transcript of the phone call provided an excerpt to The Associated Press. The person gave it on condition of anonymity because the administration did not make the details of the call public.

The Mexican website, Aristegui Noticias, on Tuesday published a similar account of phone call, based on the reporting of journalist Dolia Estevez. The report described Trump as humiliating Pena Nieto in a confrontational conversation.

Mexico's foreign relations department denied that account, saying it "is based on absolute falsehoods," and later said the statement also applied to the excerpt provided to AP.

"The assertions that you make about said conversation do not correspond to the reality of it," the statement said. "The tone was constructive and it was agreed by the presidents to continue working and that the teams will continue to meet frequently to construct an agreement that is positive for Mexico and for the United States."

The Associated Press contributed to this report