WASHINGTON - During a formal press conference at the White House with Finland's President Sauli Niinistö, President Donald Trump engaged in a heated exchange with Reuters correspondent Jeff Mason.

Trump defended his phone call with Zelensky and bashed Europe for not giving more money to Ukraine - and then told Mason to ask Niinistö a question as he was being “rude”.

He did, and Trump interrupted almost immediately.

Sauli Niinistö had to sit back and watch as US president went on the offensive against the media and former Vice-President Joe Bidden and his son.

Spare a thought for the Finnish president who was caught up in the hurricane that was Donald Trump ranting about impeachment on Wednesday.

The Nordic premier was visiting the White House to celebrate 100 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

But during a press conference and photocall, the US president went off about Democrats Adam Schiff and Nancy Pelosi and the “corrupt media” - as well as self-censoring the word “jockstrap” and referring to himself once more as a “very stable genius” - as he repeatedly evaded questions from reporters about comments he made during a July phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky about Joe Biden and his son, Hunter.

Things got off to a curious start when a Finnish reporter attempted to keep things light, asking Trump what he could learn from a happy country like Finland (Finland has been named the happiest country in the world by the World Happiness Report).

Trump, with one thing on his mind, replied: “Well, if you got rid of Pelosi and you got rid of ‘Shifty Schiff’ ― Finland is a happy country and he is a happy leader.”