Actor and comedian Tom Arnold says the Secret Service visited his house to speak to him about a tweet he sent threatening to body slam United States President Donald Trump.

Arnold, best known for his role on Roseanne and his marriage to the show's creator Roseanne Barr, said he heard "loud and clear" the message of the two agents, who visited his California home to warn him his language could have dangerous consequences.

The visit came a day before the arrest of a man dubbed the "MAGA bomber", who is accused of sending homemade explosive devices to prominent Trump critics, including the Clintons and Obamas.

"Words matter. Tone matters. Words can incite violence. Be responsible," Arnold said in a statement posted online.

He also used that statement to renew his criticism of the President, telling the Secret Service: "I'm sorry Donald Trump hasn't listened to you all the times you've had this exact same conversation with him."

Loading

On October 20, Arnold, who has become a vocal opponent of the President, tweeted about his desire to fight Mr Trump at an upcoming midterm election campaign rally.

The actor had said:

"I say put up or shut up @realDonaldTrump Me vs You. For America. First body slam wins. Any Rally. Any Time. Between now & the midterms. #FridayFeeling

He then followed up that statement with a reference to Kathy Griffin, who received a strong backlash last year after she shared a video of herself holding a mask covered in fake blood designed to look like Mr Trump's severed head.

"Next time Kathy won't be holding his fake head," Arnold said in a tweet, which has since been deleted.

Agents 'asked Arnold when he last fired a gun'

Arnold videotaped the interview with the agents, which lasted an hour and took place in the living room of his Los Angeles home on October 25.

The agents said they took all threats to the President's life seriously, according to news site Mother Jones, which obtained the recording and posted a portion of it online.

"You're a public figure," one agent is heard telling Arnold.

"So, as we go on several interviews with more, like, individuals who are public figures … obviously we address anything that you may have tweeted or post[ed] on Facebook.

"But what we have to worry about is your type of audience and you say[ing] something inciting those that follow you."

The agents also quizzed the actor on whether he had plans to confront Mr Trump at any upcoming rallies, and about the last time he fired a gun, according to Mother Jones.

Arnold said he appreciated the agents had a job to do and said the tweet regarding Griffin was a "random throwaway".

The actor was once friends with the President, having attended the Playboy Mansion with him, but turned against Mr Trump after the latter embraced the "birther" conspiracy theory about Barack Obama.

Arnold recently hosted a series for Viceland called The Hunt for the Trump Tapes.