The US President Donald Trump has gone on a personal attack against several TV presenters.
Tweeting from his @realDonaldTrump account, he said: "I heard poorly rated @Morning_Joe speaks badly of me (don't watch anymore). Then how come low I.Q. Crazy Mika, along with Psycho Joe, came..... to Mar-a-Lago 3 nights in a row around New Year's Eve, and insisted on joining me. She was bleeding badly from a face-lift. I said no!".
I heard poorly rated @Morning_Joe speaks badly of me (don't watch anymore). Then how come low I.Q. Crazy Mika, along with Psycho Joe, came..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 29, 2017
...to Mar-a-Lago 3 nights in a row around New Year's Eve, and insisted on joining me. She was bleeding badly from a face-lift. I said no!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 29, 2017
This is a reference to MSNBC's 'Morning Joe' show, which airs weekdays.
It is hosted by Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski and Willie Geist.
The programme features interviews with newsmakers and politicians, as well as analysis of the day's stories.
This afternoon, Mrs Brzezinski tweeted a picture of a cereal box in an apparent reference to the claims and jokes that President Trump has 'small hands':
— Mika Brzezinski (@morningmika) June 29, 2017
Quoting Mr Trump's tweet, CNN presenter Jake Tapper replied: "This reminds me: how is @FLOTUS's campaign against cyber-bullying going?"
This reminds me: how is @FLOTUS's campaign against cyber-bullying going? https://t.co/X4xmyreGLH
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) June 29, 2017
In a statement quoted by US media, a spokesperson for Mrs Trump said: “As the first lady has stated publicly in the past, when her husband gets attacked, he will punch back 10 times harder.”
The tweet did, however, draw criticism from US politicians, including a number of Republicans:
Mr. President, your tweet was beneath the office and represents what is wrong with American politics, not the greatness of America.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) June 29, 2017
Please just stop. This isn't normal and it's beneath the dignity of your office.
— Ben Sasse (@BenSasse) June 29, 2017
The US president has had a very cold relationship with the media, calling many stories about him 'fake news'.
Several media outlets have also complained that recent White House press conferences have been 'audio only', meaning TV cameras are not allowed to tape.
Still cameras are allowed in but TV cameras are not.
Last week, news network CNN sent a courtroom sketch artist to capture the scene.
Bill Hennessy, the network's regular sketch artist for US Supreme Court proceedings, drew Press Secretary Sean Spicer's afternoon briefing.
"Hennessy's sketches aren't exclusive to CNN; other news outlets may also use them", the network said.
Additional reporting by Stephen McNeice
