Trump just confirmed a damning piece of Bob Woodward's reporting -- after previously denying it

President Donald Trump on Tuesday confirmed a damning piece of journalist Bob Woodward's reporting, roughly two years after he denied it.

During an interview with "Fox & Friends," Trump confirmed a 2018 report from Woodward that the president ordered then-Defense Secretary James Mattis to assassinate Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad.

"I would’ve rather taken [Assad] out," Trump said. "I had him all set. Mattis didn’t want to do it. Mattis was a highly overrated general."

According to Woodward, Trump in early 2017 ordered Mattis to "f*cking kill" Assad after he launched a chemical weapons attack against his own citizens.

Mattis, reported Woodward, told Trump he would do so -- but then ordered staff to ignore the president's orders after he left the room.

At the time, Trump issued a total denial of Woodward's claims.

"No, that was never even contemplated, nor would it be contemplated," Trump said in 2018, per CNN fact checker Daniel Dale.

Watch the video below.