WATCH: Reporters demand to know if Trump's calls on China to probe Biden were a joke — and he refuses to answer

On Monday, CNN reported that President Donald Trump was bombarded with questions from reporters, and given the opportunity to say whether — as several of his Republican allies in the Senate have been claiming — his call on China to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden for him was just a joke.

Faced with the opportunity to endorse that claim, Trump did not do so.

"Mr. President, were you joking when you suggested China should look into the Bidens?" a reporter can be heard yelling in the clip. To which Trump replied, "Thank you. Thank you very much," and refused to answer.

"No interest in answering it," said CNN anchor Erin Burnett. "The reason that is significant is because he said what he said which is China investigate the Bidens. His defenders who are trying to say that would be okay are saying it’s okay because he didn’t mean it because he was joking."

Watch below: