Fox News host slams Trump over sexist tweet: 'They called Obama every name but he didn't lash out'

Fox News anchor Julie Banderas has slammed Donald Trump’s attacks on MSNBC’s TV host Mika Brzezinski, asserting that the President’s outburst is “not how you run a country”.

Ms Banderas criticised Mr Trump’s behaviour in a segment with Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, who defended the President.

Ms McDaniel said Ms Brzezinski and her Morning Joe co-hosts frequently insult the President by calling him “stupid”, “a goon” and “mentally ill”.

“This is the type of thing they say day-after-day for two hours on their network when they control the narrative and they push it out,” Ms McDaniel said. “And today the President acted like a human and he pushed back.”

An hour before Mr Trump claimed on Twitter that Ms Brzezinski was “bleeding badly from a face-lift” when he saw her last year at his Mar-a-Lago resort, Ms Brzezinski had accused him of “lying every day”, “destroying the country” and having “teensy” hands.

Ms Banderas said the President didn’t “have to stoop to that level” by responding to Ms Brzezinski's comments.

“That’s like me scolding my four-year-old for using a bad word and then me repeating it,” Ms Banderas said. “That’s just not how you run a country or you parent a four-year-old.”

“If you see this negative commentary on a show, change the channel, ignore it,” she added.

Ms Banderas also pointed out that people frequently insulted Mr Trump’s predecessor Barack Obama.

“People used to call him a Muslim. People used to call him under-qualified, a sellout to America, a hater of Israel,” she said. “I mean they called him every name in the book, but you didn't see him lash out.”

Several Fox News viewers did not take kindly to Ms Banderas blasting Mr Trump. “Just changed the channel since I never heard you defend the Trump family or Palin family when they were attacked. NOT RIGHT!” one person wrote on Twitter. Others called for her to move to broadcaster CNN, which Mr Trump has referred to as “fake news”.

“Julie Banderas needs to stop with her personal commentary”, another wrote.

Mr Trump’s comments about Ms Brzezinski have drawn criticism from both Republicans and Democrats.

Republican Representative Lynn Jenkins pointed out the sexist nature of his remarks, tweeting “This is not okay. As a female in politics I am often criticised for my looks. We should be working to empower women.”

In her own response to Mr Trump’s attack, Ms Brzezinski along with her Morning Joe co-host and fiance Joe Scarborough claimed that the President is “vicious to women” because he fears them. They also published an article questioning the President's mental health in one of the US's leading newspapers.

Deputy White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Thursday attempted to defend the President's tweets during the White House briefing.

“This is a President who fights fire with fire, and certainly will not be allowed to be bullied by liberal media, and the liberal elites within the media, or Hollywood, or anywhere else,” Ms Sanders said.