Health Secretary Wes Streeting has delivered a powerful condemnation of Donald Trump after the former US president insulted a female journalist with the shocking remark 'Quiet! Quiet, piggy' during an Air Force One flight.
'Behaviour Belongs in History Books' Says Minister
In a blunt response to Trump's vile comments directed at CBS News correspondent Jennifer Jacobs, the UK Cabinet minister suggested such treatment of women 'belongs in the history books' rather than contemporary political discourse. The incident occurred on Monday night when Jacobs questioned Trump about the Epstein files during his flight to Washington.
Speaking on ITV's This Morning after being shown the disturbing clip, Streeting immediately acknowledged: 'It's just not right.' He expressed confidence that British politicians would never address a woman in the press lobby with such disrespect, though he carefully noted that female journalists still face significant challenges in their profession.
Broader Cultural Concerns About Modern Masculinity
The Health Secretary, who was launching England's first-ever Men's Health Strategy, connected Trump's behaviour to wider concerns about toxic masculinity and online radicalisation of young men. He highlighted the dangerous trend of equating manhood with extreme misogyny, wealth accumulation, and material possessions.
'I wouldn't want my sisters to be spoken to like that,' Streeting emphasised, adding that such language was 'inappropriate in any context, let alone a professional one.' He called for better male role models to counter the sexist content targeting young men online.
New Strategy Addresses Men's Health Crisis
The timing of Streeting's comments coincided with the launch of a comprehensive government approach to tackling men's health issues. The new strategy, scheduled for full publication on Wednesday, specifically addresses:
- Suicide prevention among middle-aged men
- Alcohol abuse and problem gambling
- Smoking and drug use disparities
The Department of Health revealed that men are less likely to seek help for physical and mental health challenges, often suffering in silence while being more prone to harmful behaviours than women. The government has committed £3.6 million over three years to suicide prevention projects targeting men in deprived communities across England where suicide risk is highest.
Streeting concluded that while British politics isn't perfect, the country must continue battling sexism and misogyny to ensure such degrading behaviour toward women becomes a relic of the past rather than a feature of modern political life.
