President Trump mocks Shepard Smith after he announces departure from Fox News

President Donald Trump responded Friday to the announcement by Fox News anchor Shepard Smith that he was leaving the cable news network by mocking his ratings.

"Is he leaving because of bad ratings?" Trump asked the reporters.

"Tell me, I don't know," he added. "He had terrible ratings. If he's leaving, I assume he's leaving because he had bad ratings."

Smith didn't give a reason for why he was leaving Fox News during a statement he made on Friday at the end of his last news broadcast. He only said that he asked to leave the network and that he would not be going to another news network, at least for a while.

"Is he leaving? Oh that's a shame!" the president said to reporters.

"He had the worst ratings on Fox, so there's a reason, why is Shepard Smith leaving?" he asked.

"Well I wish him well!" he concluded.

Smith has been one of the few outspoken critics of the president at Fox News, and has faced the ire of the president often because of it. In the weeks before his departure he was mocked and ridiculed by fellow host Tucker Carlson, and his guest Joseph DiGenova.

"Shep Smith has been there from the beginning and was the most talented breaking news anchor I ever saw," said Brit Hume in a tweet. "Fox News Channel will not be the same without him."

Here's the video of Trump's response:

Fox News Anchor Shepard Smith Quits Amid Trump Criticismwww.youtube.com