The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, has defended Donald Trump’s reference to a Bloomberg News correspondent as a “piggy”, claiming without evidence that the president “calls out fake news when he sees it and gets frustrated with reporters who spread false information”. During a White House briefing, Leavitt said Trump was re-elected because of his bluntness and that members of the media should appreciate his willingness to answer their questions.
The clash occurred on Air Force One when Bloomberg’s Catherine Lucey asked a question about the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. As Lucey began to ask why Trump was behaving as he did “if there’s nothing incriminating in the files”, Trump pointed at her and said: “Quiet. Quiet, piggy.” Leavitt did not specify what “fake news” or “false information” Trump was responding to.
The remark drew widespread condemnation from journalists. CNN’s Jake Tapper called it “disgusting and completely unacceptable”, while former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson described it as “disgusting and degrading”. The incident followed another on Tuesday, when Trump called ABC News reporter Mary Bruce “a terrible person” in the Oval Office after she asked Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman about the killing of Jamal Khashoggi and why Trump had not released the Epstein files.
The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) issued a statement condemning Trump’s remarks to both reporters, saying they were “part of an unmistakable pattern of hostility – often directed at women – that undermines the essential role of a free and independent press”. SPJ executive director Caroline Hendrie emphasised that “targeting women reporters with humiliating insults should not be tolerated” and warned that such actions “reverberate far beyond Washington”.
