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How did the targeted reporter respond publicly or in their reporting after being called 'piggy'?
Executive summary
Bloomberg White House correspondent Catherine Lucey was the reporter targeted when President Trump said “Quiet, quiet, piggy” during an Air Force One gaggle about the Jeffrey Epstein files; multiple outlets identify Lucey or describe the exchange and the footage released by the White House [1] [2] [3]. Available reporting documents immediate reactions from news organizations, the White House and social media, but available sources do not provide a long, detailed account of Lucey’s own public statements beyond her being identified and the clip of the exchange itself [1] [4] [5].
1. What happened on Air Force One — the moment and who was named
Video from a press gaggle on Air Force One shows President Trump responding to a question about release of Epstein-related files by saying “Quiet. Quiet, piggy” while pointing at a female reporter; outlets identify that reporter as Bloomberg’s Catherine Lucey, who had asked why he would not release remaining Epstein files if there was nothing incriminating [3] [2] [6]. Multiple mainstream outlets carried the clip and reported the exchange as taking place Nov. 14, 2025 [1] [5].
2. Immediate institutional and media responses — how newsrooms reacted
Bloomberg issued a statement defending its White House journalists’ role in asking questions of public interest, while other outlets published the footage and commentary noting the remark’s sexist overtones; The Guardian, Euronews and others framed the insult in the context of Trump’s past personal attacks on female reporters [4] [7]. Social-media users and commentators amplified the clip and transformed it into viral commentary — for example, some critics and Democratic-aligned accounts used images and memes mocking the remark [8].
3. The White House’s defense and counter-claim
A White House official defended the president’s behavior by asserting that “this reporter behaved in an inappropriate and unprofessional way toward her colleagues on the plane,” but did not provide evidence in the quoted reporting; outlets reported that the administration did not substantiate that claim when asked [4] [9]. Coverage noted that the White House posting of the gaggle video itself helped the clip spread [3] [5].
4. Did Catherine Lucey respond publicly — what the sources show
Available sources identify Lucey as the reporter and recount the exchange, and they reproduce the clip or describe the moment, but they do not record or quote a public statement, apology, or detailed on-the-record comment from Lucey in response to being called “piggy.” Reporting instead centers on the footage and institutional reactions [1] [3] [2] [4]. Therefore, available sources do not mention Lucey making a public statement addressing the insult beyond her role in asking the question on camera [1] [5].
5. Secondary developments and related attacks on journalists
In the days after the “piggy” clip circulated, outlets reported that Trump continued to berate other female reporters — for instance, he later attacked ABC’s Mary Bruce over Epstein- and Khashoggi-related questions — and commentators saw the pattern as part of a broader history of personal attacks on women in the press [10] [9]. News coverage tied the episode to ongoing debates over presidential rhetoric, press freedom and professional norms for White House briefings [7] [8].
6. How different outlets framed the episode — competing perspectives
Some outlets and commentators condemned the remark as sexist and unbecoming of a president, placing it in a record of similar insults [7] [8]. Conservative or pro-administration perspectives are visible in the White House’s defense that the reporter had been unprofessional; that counter-claim was reported but not backed by evidence in the cited coverage [4] [9]. Readers should note that the available coverage focuses on the viral clip and reactions rather than on a detailed rebuttal from the reporter herself [4].
7. What’s missing and what reporters could do next
The record in these sources lacks a direct, on-the-record response from Catherine Lucey reacting to being called “piggy.” For a fuller account, follow-up reporting could seek comment from Lucey, Bloomberg’s newsroom, and the White House with specifics supporting or rebutting the administration’s claim about her conduct on the plane; current articles report those institutional statements but do not document Lucey’s own public remarks [1] [4] [9].
Limitations: this analysis uses only the provided articles; any public comments by Lucey not cited here are not captured because available sources do not mention them [1] [5].