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Did trump say piggy to press
Executive summary
Multiple mainstream outlets report that President Donald Trump told a female reporter to be “Quiet, piggy” during a press gaggle aboard Air Force One while she asked about Jeffrey Epstein files; video released by the White House and reporting identify the exchange and the reporter as a Bloomberg correspondent [1][2][3]. The remark has been widely published and critiqued across national and international outlets, and the incident occurred amid escalating pressure to release Epstein records [4][5].
1. The moment: what happened on Air Force One
Video of a November 14 gaggle released from the White House shows Trump interrupting a female reporter asking about whether Epstein emails contained incriminating material; he pointed toward her and said, “Quiet. Quiet, piggy,” according to multiple outlets that viewed and transcribed the footage [1][4][6]. News organizations including CNN, The Guardian, The Independent, People and Global News all report the same phrasing and cite the White House video as the primary record of the exchange [1][2][7][8][5].
2. Who the reporter was — attribution in reporting
Several outlets identify the journalist as a Bloomberg News correspondent (Catherine Lucey) or say Bloomberg’s reporter was the one addressed, with CBS reporter Jennifer Jacobs first noting on X that a Bloomberg reporter had been called “piggy” though she did not name the individual [2][7][3]. Not every story names the reporter on video, but multiple reports link the exchange to a Bloomberg correspondent and to Lucey specifically in follow-up pieces [2][7].
3. The wider context: Epstein files and political timing
The gaggle and the insult occurred as pressure mounted on the administration and Congress to release investigative files related to Jeffrey Epstein; several outlets note the comment came days before Trump reversed course and supported legislation to release the records [1][9][5]. Reporting connects the interaction to heightened scrutiny after thousands of pages of documents and email references had been made public, and to an ongoing debate over transparency and victims’ rights [4][5].
4. How outlets framed the incident — patterns in coverage
Mainstream and tabloid outlets alike emphasized the insult’s gendered nature and linked it to a pattern of Trump’s prior personal attacks on women, citing past allegations such as Alicia Machado’s claim about being called “Miss Piggy” [2][6][8]. Conservative-leaning or entertainment-focused outlets published the clip and comments too, often with stronger editorial language; others concentrated on the political fallout, including criticism from both Democrats and some Republicans [10][11][4].
5. Reactions and political consequences reported
Coverage records immediate backlash from critics who called the remark demeaning and unprofessional, and notes some GOP lawmakers breaking from the president to press for release of the Epstein records; outlets report the insult renewed scrutiny of Trump’s treatment of journalists and fed public debate over both press freedom and decency in political discourse [10][4][12].
6. What the available sources do not say
Available sources do not mention any official White House apology to the reporter within the cited articles, nor do they establish a different transcription of the words on the video beyond the phrase “Quiet, piggy” as reported (not found in current reporting). They do not provide a formal response from the named Bloomberg reporter in the pieces cited; several note she had not commented at the time of publication [6][7].
7. Assessing reliability and competing perspectives
The accounts converge: multiple independent outlets, including video-hosting mainstream organizations, report and quote the same phrase and point to the White House video as the evidence [1][2][4]. Editorial tone varies — some pieces treat the remark as emblematic of a broader pattern of behavior, while other outlets emphasize the political stakes around Epstein documents rather than the insult itself [2][9][11]. Readers should note that while the phrase is consistently reported, interpretation of its significance differs across partisan and editorial lines [12][10].
8. Bottom line for readers
Yes — multiple reputable news organizations and a White House video report that Trump said “Quiet, piggy” to a female reporter aboard Air Force One while she asked about Epstein files, and the incident has been widely covered and criticized amid a separate, fast-moving story about the release of Epstein-related records [1][4][5]. Coverage is consistent on the factual account; debates in reporting focus on motive, meaning, and political consequences rather than on whether the words were spoken [2][7].