After being asked about Epstein, Trump again pulled his authoritarian card and silenced a female reporter. He called her “Piggy” on Air Force One, with cameras rolling, because she asked a question he didn’t like.
Onboard Air Force One on Nov. 14, Bloomberg White House correspondent Catherine Lucey questioned Donald Trump about the newly released Jeffrey Epstein files. He deflected the question, as usual, saying the two “had a very bad relationship for many years.” But then, she pressed him about an email suggesting Trump “knew about the girls.” And the orange cone melted.
Instead of clarifying his stance, Trump jabbed his finger in her direction and snapped: “Quiet. Quiet, piggy.” He then chose an easier question to answer, leaving Lucey insulted and ignored. The remark wasn’t only gendered and appearance-based, but was deliberately made to humiliate Lucey in front of her peers. Sadly, no reporter stood up for her at that time, and Trump got away with it.
But later, when the clip went viral on the internet, everyone clapped back at the president. Bloomberg backed its reporter, saying, “Our White House journalists perform a vital public service, asking questions without fear or favor. We remain focused on reporting issues of public interest fairly and accurately.” Press-freedom groups also warned against such language, saying it invites abuse of women in the industry (via The Guardian).
The White House defended the comment, internet fired back
On Nov. 19, the White House gave a statement saying Lucey was behaving in an “inappropriate and unprofessional way” (via People). Yet, the official failed to offer any evidence of her doing anything except asking what Trump considers wrong questions. So, she’s unprofessional for asking a question of national concern? But the president of the United States is not, despite labeling reporters “piggy”?
Even bizarrely, the official insisted that reporters “have to be able to take” such comments. “If you’re going to give it, you have to be able to take,” they said. Sadly, for Trump, social media isn’t as forgiving or fearful of him. California Governor Gavin Newsom picked up the insult and tossed it right back at the president’s ego. He posted pig photos and a mocked-up image of Trump with a pig’s head, captioned “Goodnight piggy.”
This isn’t the first time Trump called someone “Piggy”
If the ordeal feels familiar, that’s because it is. Trump has a long history of calling women “fat pigs,” “dogs,” and “slobs.” He dubbed the 1996 Miss Universe, Alicia Machado, “Miss Piggy” and an “eating machine” when she gained weight (via The Guardian). He even labeled women “crazy,” obsessed over their bodies, and mocked their faces on television and social media for years. Infamously, he once called adult-film actor Stormy Daniels “horseface” (via The Guardian).
However, the backlash has been doing little to prick his thick pig skin. Within days of his “quiet, piggy” comment, he went after another female reporter, ABC’s Mary Bruce. “You ought to go back and learn how to be a reporter,” Trump hurled at her. And what did she do? Ask about Epstein. So, this isn’t about one bad word on one bad day.
Trump consistently treats women who challenge him as objects to be resized, renamed, and publicly humiliated into silence. It’s a journalist’s job to ask what powerful men don’t want to answer. But when the answer is “Quiet, Piggy,” it’s quite clear how much he respects the freedom of the press.
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