President Donald Trump is once again under fire from the media, this time for calling a female reporter “piggy” during a tense exchange about Jeffrey Epstein. The moment happened aboard Air Force One last week and immediately went viral. Trump leaned in, pointed, and said, “Quiet, piggy,” as the reporter pressed him about an Epstein email claiming Trump “knew about the girls.”
The White House pushed back on Thursday, saying Trump’s comments reflected his trademark bluntness, not disrespect. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said voters knew exactly what they were getting when they re-elected him. “He calls out fake news when he sees it and gets frustrated with reporters who spread false information,” she said.
Leavitt insisted Trump provides more access and more questions than any modern president. She said the media should appreciate that level of openness. She offered no examples of false reporting but stood firm that Trump’s frustration was justified.
Just two days earlier, in the Oval Office, Trump clashed with another female reporter. When she pressed him about Jamal Khashoggi’s killing and asked why he hadn’t released the Epstein files, he shot back, calling her “a terrible person.” The exchange fueled even more media outrage.
Trump signed legislation on Wednesday ordering the release of the Epstein documents after initially resisting the push to make them public. The move comes after weeks of pressure and a growing demand for transparency. The files center on the Justice Department’s long-running investigation into the disgraced financier.
The Society of Professional Journalists blasted Trump in a statement condemning his remarks. They accused him of using demeaning language toward women in the press. SPJ Executive Director Caroline Hendrie said, “Nobody expects presidents to be reporters’ biggest fans. But targeting women reporters with humiliating insults should not be tolerated.”
The White House declined further comment, standing by Leavitt’s earlier defense. For now, the administration is brushing off the criticism as another media overreaction. Trump’s allies argue the press is simply upset that he refuses to play by their rules.