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Is there video footage or an audio transcript of Trump calling a reporter 'piggy'?
Executive summary
Multiple news outlets report that President Donald Trump said “Quiet, piggy” to a female reporter during a press gaggle aboard Air Force One on Nov. 14, 2025, and the White House released video of the encounter [1] [2]. Major outlets including The New York Times, Reuters, CNN, The Guardian and others describe the clip as viral and quote the phrase; the White House press secretary publicly defended the remark as “frankness” [3] [1] [4] [5].
1. What actually exists: video and contemporaneous reporting
Multiple news organizations say there is video of the exchange released by the White House showing Trump telling a Bloomberg reporter “Quiet, quiet, piggy” while she asked about Jeffrey Epstein-related files; Snopes notes the full video is available on the White House YouTube page and outlets have circulated clips [2] [6] [4]. Reuters and The New York Times describe the same Air Force One gaggle and quote the phrase, treating the video clip as the basis for coverage [1] [3].
2. Who was identified and how the line spread
Reporting identifies Bloomberg correspondent Catherine Lucey as the reporter targeted; CBS News’ Jennifer Jacobs first reported that a Bloomberg reporter was called “piggy,” and outlets later named Lucey in their pieces [5] [7]. The clip was described as “viral” in coverage and picked up widely by legacy and online outlets, amplifying the phrase across social platforms [8] [9].
3. Official response and defenses
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt publicly defended the president, framing the comment as part of Trump’s “frankness and openness” and saying reporters should appreciate that directness; she also suggested frustration with what the White House characterizes as “fake news” [3] [1]. The White House reportedly released the broader video of the gaggle, which outlets used to document the exchange [2] [6].
4. Media reaction and watchdogs’ statements
Journalists and press-watchdog groups criticized the remark as demeaning; CNN and The New York Times quote critics calling the epithet unacceptable, and organizations like the Society of Professional Journalists condemned disparaging language toward reporters [3] [1]. The Guardian and CBC framed the insult as part of a pattern of attacks on female reporters and noted historical precedents of similar language from Trump [5] [8] [10].
5. Is there an audio transcript available in reporting?
Reporting references the words as heard in the video and quotes them directly — e.g., “Quiet, quiet piggy” — but none of the provided sources point to a standalone, official verbatim transcript beyond the video excerpt and press coverage quoting the line [4] [6] [2]. Available sources do not mention a separate, official written transcript beyond media transcriptions of the clip [2].
6. Disputes, context and what is not in the record
The White House response framed the comment as justified frustration, but reporting also notes critics who call it humiliating and unacceptable [1] [3]. Claims that the reporter “behaved in an inappropriate and unprofessional way” were made by a White House official and reported by Snopes, yet that official did not provide evidence that is presented in the articles [2]. Available sources do not mention independent forensic audio analysis, and they do not cite a competing authoritative source that denies the phrase was uttered [2] [3].
7. Why this matters: power, precedent and public record
Journalists and commentators emphasize that a president publicly insulting a reporter — especially using a gendered or body-shaming epithet — raises questions about press freedom, civility and norms of presidential conduct; outlets point to prior instances where Trump used demeaning language toward women in public remarks to show continuity [3] [5] [8]. At the same time, the White House’s choice to release the video and defend the president’s tone signals a deliberate framing strategy to normalize direct confrontations with the press [2] [1].
8. Bottom line for your original question
Yes: news organizations report that video footage exists showing Trump saying “Quiet, quiet, piggy” to a reporter aboard Air Force One, and major outlets quoted the line from that footage; a standalone official transcript beyond media transcriptions of the video is not cited in the provided reporting [2] [4] [3]. If you want to see the source media directly, reporting points to the White House’s released clip as the primary evidence [2].