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| Trump mocks TV host Mika Brzezinski's 'bleeding facelift' | Trump mocks TV host Mika Brzezinski's 'bleeding facelift' |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| US President Donald Trump has launched an extraordinary attack on a female news anchor's alleged plastic surgery. | |
| He said MSNBC host Mika Brzezinski was "bleeding badly from a face-lift" during a visit to his Florida golf resort Mar-a-Lago. | He said MSNBC host Mika Brzezinski was "bleeding badly from a face-lift" during a visit to his Florida golf resort Mar-a-Lago. |
| In a Twitter salvo, Mr Trump also assailed Brzezinski's MSNBC co-presenter Joe Scarborough. | In a Twitter salvo, Mr Trump also assailed Brzezinski's MSNBC co-presenter Joe Scarborough. |
| They are both his occasional sparring partners and she this week accused him of developing a "dictatorship". | They are both his occasional sparring partners and she this week accused him of developing a "dictatorship". |
| "I heard poorly rated @Morning_Joe speaks badly of me (don't watch anymore)," Mr Trump tweeted on Thursday morning. | "I heard poorly rated @Morning_Joe speaks badly of me (don't watch anymore)," Mr Trump tweeted on Thursday morning. |
| He also accused "low I.Q. Crazy Mika" and "Psycho Joe" of "insisting on joining me" at Mar-a-Lago over three days at New Year's Eve. | He also accused "low I.Q. Crazy Mika" and "Psycho Joe" of "insisting on joining me" at Mar-a-Lago over three days at New Year's Eve. |
| "She was bleeding badly from a face-lift. I said no!" he added. | "She was bleeding badly from a face-lift. I said no!" he added. |
| Brzezinksi, 50, hit back by tweeting an advert for a children's cereal, with the caption, "made for small hands", an apparent reference to a taunt frequently directed at Mr Trump. | |
| During his campaign for president, Mr Trump was a frequent guest on MSNBC's Morning Joe programme, which was accused of giving him favourable treatment. | During his campaign for president, Mr Trump was a frequent guest on MSNBC's Morning Joe programme, which was accused of giving him favourable treatment. |
| But the relationship turned sour as the presenters sharpened their scrutiny of the candidate. | But the relationship turned sour as the presenters sharpened their scrutiny of the candidate. |
| Mr Trump's latest broadside is all more the striking since Scarborough and Brzezinski, who are engaged to one another, told Vanity Fair magazine in May that the president had offered to officiate at their wedding ceremony. | |
| Trump hits hornet's nest again - Anthony Zurcher, BBC Washington | Trump hits hornet's nest again - Anthony Zurcher, BBC Washington |
| Let's quickly review all of the people who have told Donald Trump to tone down his tweets as president. His wife. His White House advisors. His lawyers. Republicans in Congress. Even his own supporters have said they think his social media fusillades are counterproductive. | Let's quickly review all of the people who have told Donald Trump to tone down his tweets as president. His wife. His White House advisors. His lawyers. Republicans in Congress. Even his own supporters have said they think his social media fusillades are counterproductive. |
| Yet here we are again. Another morning, another round of intensely personal Twitter invective that marks a dramatic departure from the (at least public) behaviour of past occupants of the Oval Office. | Yet here we are again. Another morning, another round of intensely personal Twitter invective that marks a dramatic departure from the (at least public) behaviour of past occupants of the Oval Office. |
| That this comes as no shock may, in fact, be the biggest shock of all. Mr Trump mocked people's looks (Rosie O'Donnell) as a businessman, and he was rewarded with reality television show stardom. He mocked people's looks (Carly Fiorina, Rand Paul) as a candidate, and he was rewarded with the presidency. Now he's mocking people's looks from his new home in the White House. | That this comes as no shock may, in fact, be the biggest shock of all. Mr Trump mocked people's looks (Rosie O'Donnell) as a businessman, and he was rewarded with reality television show stardom. He mocked people's looks (Carly Fiorina, Rand Paul) as a candidate, and he was rewarded with the presidency. Now he's mocking people's looks from his new home in the White House. |
| The president has hit the hornet's nest again, and he'll be roundly condemned by media commentators and Democrats. Republican politicians will express concern, then go back to their conservative legislative efforts. | The president has hit the hornet's nest again, and he'll be roundly condemned by media commentators and Democrats. Republican politicians will express concern, then go back to their conservative legislative efforts. |
| Then this, too, will pass. As will the next round. Until the American voters - the only ones, it seems, with the real power - decide they want a change. | Then this, too, will pass. As will the next round. Until the American voters - the only ones, it seems, with the real power - decide they want a change. |
| It comes after Ivanka Trump complained about nasty attacks on her father earlier this month. | |
| "There's a level of viciousness I wasn't expecting" in Washington DC, the first daughter told Fox News. | "There's a level of viciousness I wasn't expecting" in Washington DC, the first daughter told Fox News. |
| But White House deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said on Thursday: "This is a president who fights fire with fire and certainly will not be allowed to be bullied by liberal media." | But White House deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said on Thursday: "This is a president who fights fire with fire and certainly will not be allowed to be bullied by liberal media." |
| Online critics noted that the president's wife, Melania Trump, expressed a desire during the election to campaign against cyber-bullying. | |
| But her spokeswoman, Stephanie Grisham, said in a statement on Thursday: "As the First Lady has stated publicly in the past, when her husband gets attacked, he will punch back 10 times harder." | But her spokeswoman, Stephanie Grisham, said in a statement on Thursday: "As the First Lady has stated publicly in the past, when her husband gets attacked, he will punch back 10 times harder." |
| The Democratic National Committee described Mr Trump's tweet as "an attack on women everywhere". | The Democratic National Committee described Mr Trump's tweet as "an attack on women everywhere". |
| Paul Ryan, the highest-ranking congressional Republican, said at a weekly news conference: "Obviously I don't see that as an appropriate comment. | |
| "We are trying to improve the tone and civility of the debate," he added. "This doesn't help that." | |
| This is Mr Trump's second high-profile spat with a female news anchor. | |
| During a US election campaign debate in August 2016, Fox News moderator Megyn Kelly asked him why he had called certain women "fat pigs, slobs and disgusting animals". | |
| After the debate, Mr Trump tweeted that Ms Kelly had "bombed" and later said: "You could see there was blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever." | |
| Social media reaction | Social media reaction |