Biden, who was walking away after saying he was committed to freeing Americans imprisoned in Russia, whirled around at his questioner and said, "I'm not confident he'll change his behavior. What in the hell, what do you do all the time?"
As CNN's Kaitlan Collins tried to speak, Biden stuck up a finger and continued, "When did I say I was confident? Let's get this straight. I said what will change their behavior is if the rest of the world reacts to them and diminishes their standing in the world. I'm not confident of anything. I'm just stating a fact."
"If you don't understand that, you're in the wrong business," Biden said, before finally walking away.
Biden's angry response didn't sit well with some reporters.
"If you’re the most powerful person in the world and you can’t field questions from the media without losing your temper, maybe you’re in the wrong business," New York Magazine's Olivia Nuzzi tweeted afterward.