The White House is not backing down after widespread condemnation of President Donald Trump's Thursday tweet about "Morning Joe" host Mika Brzezinski.

Principal deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders repeatedly and vehemently defended the tweet Thursday, arguing it was justified because Trump felt "personally attacked" by the show.

"I don't think you can expect someone to be personally attacked, day after day, minute by minute, and sit back. Look the American people elected a fighter. They didn't elect somebody to sit back and do nothing. They knew what they were getting when they voted for Donald Trump, and he won overwhelmingly," Sanders told reporters.

In a pair of morning tweets, Trump said he heard "Morning Joe" hosts Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough — who were known to have the president's ear in the past — speak "badly of me." He then said that "low I.Q. Crazy Mika" and "Psycho Joe" came to his Mar-a-Lago resort around New Year's Eve and wanted to join him, but he "said no!"