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Are there video or audio recordings verifying Trump saying 'piggy' to the press?
Executive summary
Video footage released by the White House and widely reported shows President Donald Trump saying “Quiet, quiet, piggy” to a female reporter during an Air Force One gaggle on Nov. 14; multiple outlets — including CNN, The Guardian, The Telegraph, Newsweek and others — cite or publish the clip and transcribe the line [1] [2] [3] [4]. Reporting identifies the reporter as Bloomberg’s Catherine Lucey and attributes the incident to a question about Jeffrey Epstein files [2] [5].
1. What the recordings show — direct audio/video evidence
News organisations point to video footage of the Air Force One gaggle in which President Trump interrupts a female reporter and says, “Quiet. Quiet, piggy,” while pointing toward her; CNN characterises the moment as the president calling a reporter “piggy” after she asked about Epstein-related emails [1]. The Guardian’s write-up likewise transcribes the exchange and says the remark is captured onboard Air Force One [2]. Several outlets explicitly state the clip has been shared online and published by the White House [6] [5].
2. Which outlets carried the clip and who reported the quote
Major outlets including CNN, The Guardian, The Telegraph, Newsweek, The Independent, People, Deadline and Global News all ran versions of the story and quote; many cite or embed the short video clip from the gaggle [1] [2] [3] [4] [7] [8] [9] [10]. Some aggregators and opinion sites also posted the footage or screen grabs and used the line as the headline, increasing reach [11] [12] [13] [14].
3. Who the reporter is — reporting and attribution
Several outlets identify the reporter as Bloomberg’s Catherine Lucey, with CBS’s Jennifer Jacobs first reporting the attribution on X, according to The Guardian and other stories [2] [5]. Some pieces note the reporter was off camera during the clip, which is why early reports did not immediately name her [7] [6].
4. Context of the exchange — Epstein files and timing
News coverage places the gaggle on Nov. 14 and ties the question to the contested release of Jeffrey Epstein investigative files and recent emails mentioning Trump; reporting notes the exchange came as pressure mounted in Congress to make the documents public [4] [10]. Multiple outlets link the incident to broader debate that day when Trump later said he would sign legislation to release the files [9].
5. Reactions and political framing in coverage
Coverage records criticism from across the political and media spectrum. The Metro, The Independent and opinion pieces flagged bipartisan concern about the tone, while outlets quoted both Democratic and Republican unease; some commentators framed it as part of a pattern of personal attacks on female journalists [15] [7] [2] [12]. Conservative or pro-Trump commentary is not prominent in the provided set of sources; available sources do not mention detailed defenses from inside the White House beyond the footage itself (not found in current reporting).
6. How certain are transcriptions and the limits of what’s visible
All cited outlets transcribe the phrase identically — “Quiet. Quiet, piggy” — and many point to the same video as the basis for that transcription, which strengthens the claim that the words were said [1] [2] [3] [4]. Several reports note the reporter stood off camera, which explains why on-screen identification may be limited and why some early coverage did not name her [6] [7]. If you need the original frame-by-frame verification, the cited stories indicate the White House video has been circulated; check the publications’ embeds or the White House release referenced by multiple outlets for primary audio/video [6] [5].
7. Competing interpretations and why they matter
Some pieces emphasise the factual transcription and video evidence as straightforward; others place heavier emphasis on political context and historical patterns of insults directed at female journalists by Trump, suggesting the remark is emblematic rather than isolated [2] [13]. Opinion columns treat the incident as a moral and cultural litmus test for media treatment and public standards, while straight news pieces focus on the who/what/when and the legislative backdrop about Epstein files [12] [4].
8. Bottom line and next steps for verification
Available reporting from multiple mainstream outlets cites and reproduces a White House video in which Trump says “Quiet, quiet, piggy” to a female Bloomberg reporter during an Air Force One gaggle, and names the reporter as Catherine Lucey in follow-up attribution [1] [2] [5]. For your own verification, review the video embeds or the White House video link cited across these articles — CNN’s video piece and Newsweek/Global News aggregations are clear entry points [1] [4] [10]. If you want further balance, seek statements from the White House, Bloomberg or the reporter herself; available sources do not quote a response from Lucey in these items (not found in current reporting).