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The White House defended President Donald Trump’s viral insult to a reporter that sparked backlash from critics in the media.
During Thursday’s press briefing, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked what Trump meant when he called Bloomberg correspondent Catherine Lucey “piggy” during a tense exchange on Air Force One about the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
“Look, the president is very frank and honest with everyone in this room,” Leavitt said. “You’ve seen it yourself. You’ve all experienced it yourselves. And I think it’s one of the many reasons that the American people re-elected this president, because of his frankness. And he calls out fake news when he sees it.”
“He gets frustrated with reporters when you lie about him, when you spread fake news about him and his administration. But, he also is the most transparent president in history,” she continued before touting the “unprecedented access” Trump has given to reporters in comparison to the Biden administration.
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Last Friday, Lucey pressed Trump about the 2019 Epstein email released by House Democrats last week showing Epstein claiming Trump “knew about the girls,” asking the president what Epstein meant by that.
“Jeffrey Epstein and I had a very bad relationship for many years. But he also saw strength, because I was president, so he dictated a couple of memos to himself. Give me a break,” Trump reacted before commenting on others associated with Epstein like former President Bill Clinton and former Harvard President Larry Summers.
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As Trump began taking a question from another reporter, Lucey attempted to further press him with her question.
“Quiet – quiet, piggy!” Trump snapped, pointed his finger at her.
Members of the media slammed Trump’s attack on Lucey on social media.
CNN’s Jake Tapper called the comment “Disgusting and completely unacceptable.”
New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof wrote, “A woman reporter does her job by asking President Trump a tough question. And the ‘leader of the free world’ responds with a dismissive, misogynistic put-down that shames the presidency.”
The Atlantic’s McKay Coppins posted, “The president continues to behave in ways that not a single parent I know would tolerate from their elementary-school-aged kids.”
Trump also clashed with ABC News correspondent Mary Bruce, calling her “fake news” after she asked pointed questions to him and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during an Oval Office exchange Tuesday.
He later slammed Bruce when she asked about the release of the Epstein files.
“It’s not the question that I mind. It’s your attitude. I think you are a terrible reporter. It’s the way you ask these questions,” Trump told Bruce. “You start off with a man who is highly respected, asking him a horrible, insubordinate and just a terrible question.”
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