President Donald Trump's tweets got tough coverage at Fox News Channel, a usually friendly media outlet.

The US leader was heavily criticised after he lambasted “Morning Joe” hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski for their coverage of his administration on Twitter – and was rude about Ms Brzezinski's appearance.

“I heard poorly rated @Morning_Joe speaks badly of me (don't watch anymore),” Mr Trump wrote. “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.”

He added: “She was bleeding badly from a face-lift. I said no!”

Fox News anchor Shepard Smith led his afternoon newscast with Trump's actions, which he said "some critics are calling sexist cyberbullying."

He interviewed "MediaBuzz" host Howard Kurtz, who noted that Trump frequently punches back at critics, but said, "This is a punch where he has actually wounded himself."

Kurtz said, "It's perfectly clear to people who are not paid to defend him that he crossed a line." He said the White House can't blame the media for harsh coverage since it brought the issue on itself.

Smith also took the unusual step of reading three emails from viewers who criticised him for his coverage of the story. He said one reader wrote on social media that "Shep is a liberal hemorrhoid" who would better fit on MSNBC.

The criticism followed a chorus of criticism from members of Mr Trump's own Republican Party.

Donald Trump appears to flirt with Irish reporter

“Not okay.” “Beneath the office.” “Please just stop," were just some of the words aimed at the President.

Female senators were quick to jump on the sexist nature of the remarks, which came one day after Mr Trump singled out a female reporter for her “nice smile”.

“This is not ok,” tweeted Republican Senator Lynn Jenkins. “As a female in politics I am often criticised for my looks. We should be working to empower women.”

The President has been chastised in the past for calling women “pigs” and “slobs,” and bragging about being able to “grab them by the p*****” without their consent.

The remarks were also an escalation of Mr Trump's long-standing criticism of the news media, which he once called an “enemy of the American people.”

A wealthy businessman and former reality TV star with no previous experience in government, Mr Trump has been quick to respond to criticism of his presidency, lashing out at the media for its coverage of probes into potential collusion between his campaign team and Russia, and other matters.

He has sometimes singled out individual journalists, including a high-profile attack on former Fox News and current NBC journalist Megyn Kelly while he was running for office. That included a comment about “blood coming out of her wherever,” which was widely interpreted as a reference to menstruation.

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After his latest outburst Senator Ben Sasse, a frequent Trump critic pleaded: "Please just stop. This isn't normal and it's beneath the dignity of your office.”

Even Mr Trump’s usual supporters appeared unable to stomach the Thursday-morning missives.

Senator James Lankford, who has defended Mr Trump in the investigations into his presidential campaign, said the tweets “don’t help our political or national discourse and do not provide a positive role model for our national dialogue”. House Speaker Paul Ryan called them simply “inappropriate”.