Chuck Todd is ending the year back in Donald Trump's doghouse.
It wasn't always this way. In July, Trump extended his gratitude to the "Meet the Press" moderator for a commentary on NBC News.
"Very fair," Trump tweeted to Todd. "We are making progress together!"
But Todd has regressed this month, at least in Trump's mind. A few weeks ago, Trump called Todd a "nice guy, but just hopeless." And the Republican presidential frontrunner once again unleashed his fury at Todd over the holidays last week, firing off a series of angry tweets on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Anyone who's followed the presidential race knows that Trump has a contentious relationship with the press, and that his Twitter feed is a repository for harsh media criticism.
But with Todd, Trump has been alternately critical and supportive. Before he tweeted about the "progress" made between the two, Trump repeatedly called Todd "sleepy eyes," a belittlement similar to his mockery of Jeb Bush's "low energy."
Despite that tension, Todd hasn't been frozen out by Trump.
Trump has appeared on "Meet the Press" eight times this year, roughly the same number of interviews he's given to the show's competitors, ABC's "This Week" and CBS' "Face The Nation."
Those interviews have had some combative moments. Last month, during a discussion on Trump's discredited claim to have witnessed thousands of Muslims cheering in New Jersey on 9/11, Todd got animated.
"You're running for president of the United States," Todd said to Trump. "Your words matter. Truthfulness matters. Fact-based stuff matters."
"Take it easy, Chuck," Trump fired back.
Their up-and-down history predates 2015, too. A scan of Trump's Twitter history shows that the "sleepy eyes" diss began as far back as early 2012.
Around that time, the two had a fiery on-air exchange during an interview on Todd's former MSNBC program.
"I am doing NBC a favor by doing this show," Trump said.
But prior to this year, Trump's most recent tweet to Todd was actually a positive one. Days before Todd made his debut as moderator of "Meet the Press," Trump wished him luck.
Trump wouldn't address Todd on Twitter again until July of this year, when he suggested that "sleepy eyes" will be "fired like a dog" from the show.
Neither Trump nor Todd responded to CNNMoney's request for comment.
