Trump sparks new Twitter war with actor Alex Baldwin

Donald Trump sparked a Twitter war with Alec Baldwin on Friday, reviving his public opprobrium of the actor's critically acclaimed role impersonating the president on hit television show Saturday Night Live.

If Baldwin started the row by telling The Hollywood Reporter in an interview that it was "agony" to play the 71-year-old commander-in-chief, regardless of picking up an Emmy award for his efforts, Trump hit back in good measure.

"Alec Baldwin, whose dying mediocre career was saved by his terrible impersonation of me on SNL, now says playing me was agony," Trump wrote in a pre-dawn tweet.

"Alec, it was agony for those who were forced to watch," Trump said.

Baldwin, a father of four whose career only a few years ago was dogged by run-ins with the paparazzi, had told The Hollywood Reporter of his portrayal of Trump: "Every time I do it now, it's like agony. Agony. I can't."

Trump's original tweet misspelled both the actor's first name as 'Alex' and dying as "dieing." He later corrected both mistakes.

Baldwin, 59, himself well-known for his outspoken views and support of the Democratic Party, was quick to fire off a series of scathing tweets in response.

"Agony though it may be, I'd like to hang in there for the impeachment hearings, the resignation speech, the farewell helicopter ride," he tweeted. "You know. The Good Stuff. That we’ve all been waiting for."

He then suggested he was looking forward to Trump's post-office presidential library -- which former US heads of state customarily establish after their stint in the White House.

"A putting green. Recipes for chocolate cake. A live Twitter feed for visitors to post on. A little black book w the phone numbers of porn stars. You're in and out in five minutes. Just like..." he tweeted.

The actor then took a potshot at Trump's marriage, adding: "Mr President... please ask your wife to stop calling me for SNL tickets."

Clearly riled by the president's portrayal of his career, he signed off with the parting shot that he was heading to the set of upcoming crime movie Motherless Brooklyn, which he is shooting with the likes of Edward Norton, Willem Dafoe and Bruce Willis.

"If this is mediocrity, give me more," he tweeted.

Baldwin's Trump is a wildly popular character on SNL.

The president used to lash out fairly regularly against Baldwin and the show, but Friday's was the first such barb in a while.