Fox News host Neil Cavuto scolded Trump over his attack on colleague Chris Wallace, who the president called 'nasty' and 'obnoxious'

Fox News

Fox News host Neil Cavuto on Monday night's Common Sense segment on "Your World."

• Fox News host Neil Cavuto admonished US President Donald Trump on Monday for personally attacking Fox colleague Chris Wallace.
• Trump called Wallace "nasty & obnoxious" after he questioned Congressman Steve Scalise's attempt to discredit impeachment inquiry witnesses on his Fox show on Sunday. 
• Cavuto defended Wallace's approach, saying: "We can't please all. The best we could do as journalists is to be fair to all, including you, Mr. President. That's not fake doing that."
• Cavuto said Trump "doesn't distinguish" between fake news and simple bad press based on facts. 
• The spat is the latest between Trump and Fox hosts critical of his administration. Trump expects loyalty from Fox and his appearances have boosted their ratings.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. 

Fox News anchor Neil Cavuto scolded Donald Trump on Monday following an attack on his colleague Chris Wallace. 

"While its understandable not to like what you hear, Mr, President, it is not understandable to tune out what you should otherwise like very much to hear," Cavuto said during his "Common Sense" monologue on "Your World."

On Sunday, the president had rushed to defend Republican Party Congressman Steve Scalise, who Wallace had doggedly questioned about witnesses testifying to the Ukraine impeachment inquiry on his Fox show.

Trump called the interview, in which Scalise sought to discredit the witnesses, "dumb and unfair" and Wallace "nasty & obnoxious."

Cavuto said on his show that Trump "doesn't distinguish" between fake news and simple bad press. 

"Scalise has steadfastly defended the president on this whole Ukrainian situation. The president likes Steve for that. Let's just say he doesn't like Chris for challenging Scalise Sunday," Cavuto said.

"What makes something fake news? I would assume if the news being reported is fake or wrong and the person presenting that news knows it is fake or wrong that is bad. But what if the news being reported is accurate?"

"We can't please all. The best we could do as journalists is to be fair to all, including you, Mr. President. That's not fake doing that."

"What is fake is not doing that. What is fake is saying Fox never used to do that. Mr. President, we have always done that. We did. Chris did. I know I did."

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump participates in a debate sponsored by Fox News at the Fox Theatre on March 3, 2016 in Detroit, Michigan.

The clash is the latest between Trump and a Fox host. The president has taken issue with the network's criticism of his administration in recent months, and complained that it is "much different" from what it used to be.

During Sunday's interview, Wallace pushed back when Scalise sought to discredit those who had testified in House Democrats' impeachment inquiry, as Business Insider's Kat Tenbarge previously reported.

"Well, those were Schiff's witnesses," Scalise said, referring to Rep. Adam Schiff, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, after Wallace said that numerous US officials who had listened in on Trump's phone call that sparked the inquiry were "immediately upset" by what Trump said.

"No, sir, they're career foreign-service officers and these are people who work in the Trump administration," Wallace said, noting that Vice President Mike Pence's aide Jennifer Williams said in her closed-door deposition, released Saturday, that the conversation was "inappropriate."