Trump tells Lester Holt he would have fired 'showboat' Comey regardless of DOJ's recommendation

In his first extensive TV interview since his decision to fire former FBI Director James Comey, President Donald Trump slammed the former FBI chief for being a "showboat" and a "grandstander."

"Look, he's a grandstander, a showboat," Trump said of Comey. "The FBI has been in turmoil. You know that. I know that. Everybody knows that."

Additionally, Trump said that he would have fired Comey from his post regardless of what the U.S. Department of Justice recommended -- a total contradiction from what the White House has said ever since Comey's dismissal on Tuesday.

On May 9, the White House said that Trump had "acted based on the clear recommendations of both Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and Attorney General Jeff Sessions." What's more Vice President Mike Pence said on Wednesday that Trump "accepted... the recommendation to remove Director Comey."

Additionally, Trump spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders told MSNBC's Morning Joe on Wednesday that Trump took the DOJ's recommendation to fire Comey "seriously" and "he made a decision based on that."

During the interview, Trump also revealed that he had directly asked Comey if he were under investigation by the FBI.

"I said, if it's possible would you let me know, 'Am I under investigation?'" Trump said. "He said, 'You are not under investigation.'"

Watch a clip of the interview below.