US President Donald Trump has lashed out at Vanity Fair, after the magazine apologised for an online video mocking Hillary Clinton.

Mr Trump took to Twitter on Friday morning (AEDT) saying the magazine was “bending over backwards in apologising for the minor hit”.

The video posted over the weekend shows editors of Vanity Fair‘s Hive website offering toasts and New Year’s resolutions for Mrs Clinton, including that she vow to take up knitting, volunteer work or any hobby that would keep her from running again for president.

The backlash was swift. Among those to respond was actress Patricia Arquette, who tweeted her own proposal – stop telling women what they should or can do.

In a statement Wednesday, the magazine said the video was an attempt at humour that regrettably “missed the mark”.

Mr Trump’s tweet added that Anna Wintour “is beside herself in grief & begging for forgiveness!”

Ms Wintour is the editor-in-chief of Vogue, not Vanity Fair. She is also the artistic director of parent company Conde Nast, which publishes both titles.

Vanity Fair, which looks like it is on its last legs, is bending over backwards in apologizing for the minor hit they took at Crooked H. Anna Wintour, who was all set to be Amb to Court of St James’s & a big fundraiser for CH, is beside herself in grief & begging for forgiveness!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 28, 2017

Journalists from The Hive offered Mrs Clinton six New Year’s resolutions that would keep her out of politics in a short online video.

“Take up a new hobby in the New Year: volunteer work, knitting, improv comedy – literally anything that will keep you from running again,” writer Maya Kosoff said in the video, while drinking from a champagne flute.

Maybe it's time for Hillary Clinton to take up a new hobby in 2018 pic.twitter.com/sbE78rA5At

— VANITY FAIR (@VanityFair) December 23, 2017

The clip is part of a series in which staffers give politicians resolutions for 2018.

Mr Trump and White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders have also been targets of the apparent attempt at light-hearted Christmas content.

Outspoken actress Ms Arquette told the journalists to “get over your mommy issues”.

“Hey STOP TELLING WOMEN WHAT THE F––K THEY SHOULD OR CAN DO.”

Clinton advisor Adam Parkhomenko described the video as “embarrassingly not funny” and “awkward to watch”.

“I want to believe they gave each of those individuals an opt-out opportunity but they genuinely looked happy to do it.”

https://twitter.com/PattyArquette/status/945812980939161600

Former Clinton Advisor Peter Daou sparked the #CancelVanityFair hashtag and noted Clinton had been fending off “sexist attacks” for years.

“So @VanityFair decided that the best way to end 2017 was to take a repulsive cheap shot at @HillaryClinton, one of the most accomplished women in the history of the United States.”

I ended 2015 defending Hillary Clinton from sexist attacks.
I ended 2016 defending Hillary Clinton from sexist attacks.
I'm ending 2017 defending @HillaryClinton from sexist attacks.
So much for my Twitter break…

— Peter Daou (@peterdaou) December 27, 2017

Ms Kosoff, the writer who made the knitting suggestion, reportedly took to her private Twitter account to defend the video.

“I don’t appreciate being taken out of context to make me seem super sexist. This wasn’t a Hillary hit piece either, fwiw [for what it’s worth]! We made silly new years resolutions for a bunch of politicians,” she said.