Aboard Air Force One, a routine press gaggle took a deeply controversial turn when former President Donald Trump told a female journalist to be 'Quiet, Piggy' after she pressed him on the impending release of documents related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The Onboard Confrontation
The incident occurred on Friday as Trump was returning to Washington, D.C. According to reports from The Daily Telegraph, the reporter, whose identity remains unconfirmed, was an employee of the media giant Bloomberg. As she began to ask, 'If there’s nothing incriminating in the files, sir, why not…', Trump interjected.
Leaning forward and wagging his finger, the commander-in-chief responded in a sinister, sing-song voice, stating, 'Quiet! Quiet, piggy.' Just prior to this remark, Trump had acknowledged having a 'very bad relationship' with Epstein before attempting to move on to other questions.
Fallout and Political Ramifications
The surreal exchange quickly went viral on social media, with users expressing shock and condemnation. One X user pointedly remarked, 'this is the president of the United States who himself is overweight calling another person piggy,' while another questioned the unprecedented nature of the insult from a sitting president towards a female journalist.
The event unfolded against a backdrop of significant political pressure. The House of Representatives was poised to vote on a bill to force the release of the Epstein files. The scandal has even begun to fracture Trump's traditionally solid MAGA base, most notably with former loyalist Marjorie Taylor Greene breaking ranks in a shocking move.
In response, Trump has branded Greene a 'traitor' and a 'ranting Lunatic'. Despite this, he performed a surprising U-turn, ordering House Republicans to vote in favour of the files' release, claiming the party has 'nothing to hide.'
Contents of the Files
The House Oversight Committee has already released a number of emails from the Epstein files, several of which mention Donald Trump. One email alleges that Trump 'spent hours' at Epstein’s house with a sex trafficking victim, while another claims he 'knew about the girls.'
Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing in relation to the Epstein case, and to date, no evidence has emerged to suggest criminal activity on his part. Following the incident on Air Force One, The Independent contacted the White House for comment.
