WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Trump is facing criticism after calling a Bloomberg News correspondent “piggy” during a press gaggle aboard Air Force One on Friday, an exchange that resurfaced Tuesday and drew backlash from journalists across major outlets. The remark came after Bloomberg’s White House correspondent Catherine Lucey began asking Trump why he was reacting so strongly to the incoming release of Jeffrey Epstein files if he believed they held nothing incriminating. Trump cut her off, pointing and saying, “Quiet. Quiet, piggy.”
The comment was first reported by CBS News’ Jennifer Jacobs and has since been condemned by multiple journalists, including CNN’s Jake Tapper and former Fox anchor Gretchen Carlson. Lucey referred questions to Bloomberg representatives, who have not commented.
The insult follows years of Trump’s personal attacks on female reporters. Past targets include former Miss Universe Alicia Machado, whom Trump publicly mocked as “Miss Piggy,” and longtime White House correspondent April Ryan, who said Trump’s latest remark shows “how upset he is about the Epstein files.” Ryan encouraged Lucey to continue pressing difficult questions, calling the president’s language “beneath the dignity of the office.”
Advocates for women in media say such attacks create real risks. Elisa Lees Muñoz of the International Women’s Media Foundation warned that Trump’s appearance-based insults often trigger harassment campaigns against the journalists he targets. A White House official, without offering evidence, claimed Lucey had behaved “inappropriately.”
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