A New York Times columnist says President Trump once called her a "dog and a liar" with "the face of a pig."

Gail Collins wrote Friday that she "overestimated" Trump, saying that even though he once sent her notes calling her a "dog" with "the face of a pig" because he disliked a column she wrote, it did not occur to her that he'd "keep doing that kind of stuff as president of the United States."

Trump sparked bipartisan outrage Thursday when he attacked "Morning Joe" co-host Mika Brzezinski's appearance on Twitter, saying she was "bleeding badly from a face-lift" during a New Year's Eve celebration at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla.

GOP senators condemned the tweets, saying the insults were "beneath the dignity" of his office, and the Democratic National Committee called it an "attack on women everywhere."

"Every time one of these tweeting disasters occurs, it reminds us that the United States president has no more discernible self-control than a 10-year-old bully who works out his failure to pass third grade by tormenting the little kids on the playground," Collins said.

The White House defended Trump's attack on Brzezinski's appearance, saying he was only fighting fire with fire and that he won't let the "liberal media" bully him.