Donald Trump, who has a history of making extremely personal attacks on female journalists, referred to a Bloomberg News correspondent as a “piggy” during a clash onboard Air Force One on Friday.
While the remark did not initially get much attention, it picked up some traction on Tuesday and has drawn backlash from fellow journalists, including some who have previously been attacked by Trump themselves.
Catherine Lucey, Bloomberg’s White House correspondent, had taken advantage of a press opportunity with the president – known as a gaggle – to ask a question about the unfolding Jeffrey Epstein scandal and the possibility of the House voting to release all of the files related to his case, which now appears likely.
As Lucey started to ask why Trump was behaving the way he was “if there’s nothing incriminating in the files”, Trump pointed at her and said: “Quiet. Quiet, piggy.”
CBS News reporter Jennifer Jacobs first reported that Trump called a Bloomberg News reporter “piggy”, though she did not specify who it was.
“Disgusting and completely unacceptable,” CNN anchor Jake Tapper wrote on X, sharing a clip of the incident. Former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson also called the remark “disgusting and degrading”.
When asked about the incident, Lucey directed the Guardian to a spokesperson for her news organization.
“Our White House journalists perform a vital public service, asking questions without fear or favor,” a Bloomberg News spokesperson said on Tuesday afternoon. “We remain focused on reporting issues of public interest fairly and accurately.”
The White House Correspondents’ Association, which has released statements in the past defending journalists who faced attack from Trump, did not respond to requests for comment.
The insult is a familiar one for Trump. Alicia Machado, who won the Miss Universe pageant in 1996, has said that Trump once called her “Miss Piggy” and told her to lose weight. Trump owned the pageant at the time.
April Ryan, a longtime White House correspondent, was referred to as “Miss Piggy” by Trump administration official Lynne Patton in 2018 – though Patton apologized for the remark. (Trump himself called Ryan a “loser” who “doesn’t know what the hell she’s doing” that same year.)
In an interview with the Guardian, Ryan said that Trump’s attack on the Bloomberg reporter was beneath the dignity of the presidency.
“The president of the United States is supposed to be the moral leader, the leader of the country, and he’s acting like some thug on the street,” she said. “It’s one thing for his minions to say that, but for him to call a woman that? That also shows how upset he is about the Epstein files. It lets us know that there’s probably some fire there.”
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Speaking rhetorically, she said to Trump: “Be careful how you call people names when you are in the pig pen yourself getting ready to go up for the slaughter.”
She also encouraged Lucey to keep asking tough questions. “She did the right thing by asking, and he wanted to intimidate her, and I pray that she fights on.”
In 2018, the International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF) called on the White House to be more respectful toward female journalists, referencing “recent demeaning language from the president against female journalists of color”.
Elisa Lees Muñoz, the IWMF’s executive director, told the Guardian that Trump’s “piggy” remark is more of the same. “President Trump’s targeting of women journalists is nothing new,” she said. “His appearance-based insults are gendered attacks meant to shut women journalists up.
“While name-calling may seem harmless, coming from the head of our government, it often sets in motion a torrent of abuse towards the journalist, which not only impacts her ability to work, but also sends a chilling message to other women journalists who are confronting him with hard-hitting questions.”
Asked for comment about Trump’s insult, a White House official blamed Lucey. “This reporter behaved in an inappropriate and unprofessional way towards her colleagues on the plane,” the person claimed, offering no evidence for this allegation. “If you’re going to give it, you have to be able to take.”
When asked what specifically the reporter had done that was inappropriate, the White House did not respond.
