President Obama defended himself over calling Mitt Romney a “bullshitter” when a Denver reporter asked him to justify that remark in light of his promise to improve civility in Washington, D.C.

“You know, this was a conversation after an interview, a casual conversation with a reporter,” Obama, who was visibly irritated at getting the question, told 9News’ Kyle Clark.

Obama then tied that comment about Romney to the broader themes of his reelection bid. “The basic point that I’ve been talking about throughout this campaign, is people know what I mean and they know that I mean what I say and what I care about, who I’m fighting for and you know a major issue in any election is can you count on the person you’re putting into the Oval Office fighting for you having a clear set of convictions that they believe in,” he said.

The president made that comment about Romney during an interview with Rolling Stone:

As we left the Oval Office, executive editor Eric Bates told Obama that he had asked his six-year-old if there was anything she wanted him to say to the president. … [S]he said, ‘Tell him: You can do it.’ Obama grinned. … ‘You know, kids have good instincts,’ Obama offered. ‘They look at the other guy and say, “Well, that’s a bullshitter, I can tell.”’