Trump reportedly annoyed his Press Secretary Sean Spicer was portrayed by a woman on SNL

US President Donald Trump has had a publicly acrimonious relationship with the NBC comedy sketch show, Saturday Night Live, but its portrayal of his Press Secretary Sean Spicer, reportedly left him more annoyed than usual.

Sources told news site Politico that "it was Spicer's portrayal by a woman that was most problematic in the president's eyes". In the sketch, actress Melissa McCarthy plays Spicer as a gum devouring, accusative press secretary, looking for a fight with journalists asking him questions.

A top Trump donor told Politico that the president "doesn't like his people to look weak" and that Trump not tweeting about the SNL sketch was a sign that it had made the White House particularly uncomfortable.

In an interview with Extra on Sunday, Spicer said that McCarthy needed to "slow down on the gum chewing; way too many pieces in there", adding that she "could dial back". He also added that he thought the portrayal of Donald Trump by Alec Baldwin had been funny but had now "crossed over to mean". "There's a streak of meanness now," he said.

Trump has previously voiced his dislike of the show and Baldwin's portrayal of him on Twitter, in December 2016, he posted: "Just tried watching Saturday Night Live – unwatchable! Totally biased, not funny and the Baldwin impersonation just can't get any worse. Sad". The show in question had included a sketch which mocked Trump for his Twitter use.

Two weeks earlier he derided the show for being "one-sided", saying: "I watched parts of @nbcsnl Saturday Night Live last night. It is a totally one-sided, biased show - nothing funny at all. Equal time for us?"