'Veep' star Julia Louis-Dreyfus mocks Donald Trump while hosting Democratic National Convention

Comedian Julia Louis-Dreyfus relentlessly mocked Donald Trump as she hosted the final night of the Democratic National Convention, injecting a dose of humour into the political gathering.

Louis-Dreyfus, best known as the fictional vice president on the hit HBO series Veep, fired off a string of one-liners aimed at the US president, declaring: “I’m proud to be a nasty woman.”

After a video segment in which Joe Biden discussed his Catholic faith, Louis-Dreyfus quipped: "Just remember, Joe Biden goes to church so regularly that he doesn’t even need tear gas and a bunch of federalised troops to help him get there".

The jibe was a reference to the heavily criticised decision to clear peaceful protesters from outside the White House so that Mr Trump could conduct a photo-call outside a nearby church.

The comedian added a twist to one of Mr Trump's most memorable lines from his inaugural address, saying: "When Donald Trump spoke at his inauguration about 'American carnage', I assumed that was something he was against, not a campaign promise."

It marked a sharp contrast to the previous evenings of the political gathering, when the moderators had adopted a sombre tone to address the nation.

However, some commentators on Thursday night suggested the comedian had been "tone deaf" in her comments, in particular following the segment discussing Mr Biden's faith.

Scott Jennings, who served in George W. Bush's administration, tweeted: "That Biden video was pretty great, and then @OfficialJLD making that snarky, flat joke just ruined it. tone deaf. wow."

"Is this supposed to be funny?" tweeted Liz Mair, a political consultant.

At another point, the comedian repeatedly mispronounced the name of Mr Trump’s vice president, Mike Pence, ridiculing Republicans who have refused to correctly pronounce the name of Mr Biden's running mate, Kamala Harris.

“I cannot wait to see her debate our current vice president, Meeka Pints,” she said. “Or is it Paints?” Louis-Dreyfus also recounted how she met Mr Biden while playing the fictional character Selina Meyer, a former US senator who goes on to become the first female vice president, in Veep.

Mr Biden, who was Barack Obama's vice president at the time, called the actress up when he saw her featured on a little-read onboard train magazine.

"The day it came out, my phone rang, and it was the vice president telling me he loved the cover and the whole article," Louis-Dreyfus said. She joked: "Joe Biden not only knows how to read, but also he reads everything."

Urging people to text “30330” for updates on the Biden campaign, she said:  “An easy way to remember 30330, is that’s the way Donald Trump will finally release his tax returns.

“30330. That would be the president’s golf score if he didn’t cheat,” she added.

The comedian and actress acknowledged that her jokes were unlikely to go down well at the White House, predicting Mr Trump would call her "a washed-up, horse-faced, no-talent, has-been with low ratings" in a tweet on Friday.

She added: "Well, with all due respect, sir, it takes one to know one."

Louis-Dreyfus also took aim at the president's habit of referring to his female critics as “nasty”, saying: "I’m proud to be a nasty, nasty woman.”