Former President Donald Trump finds himself at the centre of another controversy after insulting a female journalist who questioned him about the release of Jeffrey Epstein documents, sparking a fresh wave of conspiracy theories among his loyal supporters.
The Air Force One Confrontation
The incident occurred last Friday aboard Air Force One, where Bloomberg reporter Catherine Lucey attempted to ask Trump about mounting pressure from lawmakers in his own party regarding the release of all investigative documents connected to convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. The president, facing bipartisan calls for transparency, responded by waving a finger in Lucey's face and snapping: "Quiet, quiet piggy!" while the journalist stood off camera.
A White House official later defended the president's behaviour, stating: "This reporter behaved in an inappropriate and unprofessional way towards her colleagues on the plane. If you're going to give it, you have to be able to take."
MAGA Supporters Create Alternative Narrative
Despite clear audio and video evidence showing Trump pointing at Lucey and using the term "piggy," MAGA loyalists on social media platform X have constructed an elaborate alternative narrative. They claim the president's words were twisted by Democrats and that he was actually referring to Bloomberg's Washington DC bureau chief Peggy Collins, despite her absence from the aircraft.
X user Michael Raczkowskion asserted: "Trump said 'PEGGY'. Referring to the woman named 'Peggy' that interrupted. Are Democrats so desperate now that all you have is lies?"
The conspiracy theory gained temporary traction when X's AI bot Grok incorrectly claimed that "audio analysis and press pool records confirm Trump said 'Quiet, Peggy' to Bloomberg's DC bureau chief Peggy Collins, who routinely travels on Air Force One and interrupted amid the Epstein query."
White House Response and Fallout
The White House has acknowledged that Trump was indeed referring to Lucey and hasn't denied his use of the word "piggy." Grok later issued a correction, stating: "My earlier reply mistook the reporter for Peggy Collins based on ambiguous audio and hasty name association, but verified footage and multiple independent transcripts confirm Trump addressed Catherine Lucey, saying 'quiet, piggy' amid Epstein questions. No Peggy was present or targeted."
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended Trump's approach during a Thursday press briefing, remarking: "I think the president being frank and open and honest to your faces rather than hiding behind your backs is frankly a lot more respectful than what you saw in the last administration."
The confrontation occurred as Trump faced growing pressure from members of his own party to sign legislation requiring the Justice Department to release all investigative files on Epstein. Following passage in both the House and Senate, the president ultimately signed a bipartisan bill mandating the DOJ to declassify all documents related to the paedophile billionaire.
Trump has repeatedly addressed questions about his relationship with Epstein by dismissing the outcry as a manufactured "Democratic hoax," further fueling the partisan divisions surrounding this controversial case.
