Trump: "I had nothing to do with Russia helping me to get elected"

President Trump seemingly admitted that Russia had helped him to win the 2016 presidential election — without his knowledge — in a Thursday morning tweet.

"Russia, Russia, Russia! That’s all you heard at the beginning of this Witch Hunt Hoax...And now Russia has disappeared because I had nothing to do with Russia helping me to get elected. It was a crime that didn’t exist."

Why it matters: While it's not the first time Trump has admitted that Russia interfered in 2016, it's the first time Trump has stated it could have helped him win.

• The president almost immediately walked back his tweet, telling reporters outside the White House on Thursday morning: "Russia did not help me get elected. You know who got me elected? I got me elected."

Go deeper: What the Mueller report tells us about Trump and Russia