Where and when did Trump allegedly call a reporter 'piggy' and who was the reporter?
Executive summary
Reporting shows President Donald Trump called a Bloomberg reporter “Quiet, quiet, piggy” aboard Air Force One on Nov. 14, 2025, during questions about Jeffrey Epstein’s files; the reporter identified in coverage as the target was Bloomberg White House correspondent Catherine Lucey [1] [2] [3]. The remark drew widespread media attention and prompted a White House defense from press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who framed the comment as “frankness” rather than misconduct [4] [5] [6].
1. What happened, where and when — a concise reconstruction
Video and contemporaneous accounts place the exchange on Air Force One during a press gaggle on Nov. 14, 2025, when a female Bloomberg reporter pressed Mr. Trump about recently released Epstein-related emails; Trump pointed and told her, “Quiet. Quiet, piggy,” cutting off her follow-up question [2] [3] [7]. Multiple outlets published the clip and described the setting as an in-flight scrum as the president traveled to Mar-a-Lago and elsewhere that day [2] [7] [8].
2. Who the reporter is — identification and reporting trail
News organizations identify the reporter as Catherine Lucey of Bloomberg, a White House correspondent who began asking why the administration would not release the remaining Epstein files if they contained nothing incriminating [1] [2]. Initial social posts and shorthand attributions came from other reporters — for example, CBS News’ Jennifer Jacobs first reported the “piggy” wording before outlets named Lucey specifically — and later coverage consistently names Lucey as the journalist who was addressed [9] [1].
3. Why the question mattered — Epstein files and political stakes
The reporter’s question related directly to congressional and public pressure to release unclassified records tied to Jeffrey Epstein; outlets noted the exchange came as lawmakers were preparing or voting on measures to make portions of those files public, elevating the stakes of the on-camera interaction [7] [8]. Coverage also ties the episode to a broader narrative about how the president handles questions about Epstein and about his responsiveness to press scrutiny [7] [8].
4. The White House response and competing framings
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt publicly defended the president’s remark at a Nov. 20 briefing, characterizing it as part of his “frankness” and openness toward reporters and arguing that he gets frustrated when he believes reporters are “spreading fake information” [4] [5]. That defense contrasts sharply with reactions from press organizations and many journalists who called the insult demeaning and inappropriate for the office; watchdog groups and commentators framed it as part of a pattern of disparaging language toward female reporters [4] [5] [6].
5. Media consensus, disagreement and context on reporting the incident
Mainstream outlets — Reuters, The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, BBC-affiliated CBC, People, Newsweek and others — consistently reported the words and identified Lucey as the Bloomberg reporter [4] [5] [6] [10] [3] [1] [8]. Conservative and partisan outlets offered varying tones: some highlighted the White House defense or framed the exchange as spirited pushback to “fake news,” while others reproduced criticism of the language [11] [12]. The reporting consensus is clear about who was targeted and where the exchange occurred, but opinions differ sharply on whether the president’s language was defensible.
6. What the coverage does and does not say — limits and unanswered questions
Available sources consistently describe the moment, date, place, and the reporter’s identity [1] [2] [3]. Sources do not provide public, detailed comments from Catherine Lucey herself about the exchange beyond noting she had not immediately commented in some stories [1]. They also do not offer an internal White House audio transcript beyond the video clip or definitive evidence about any prior off-camera interaction that might have led to the outburst; the White House statement cited a claim that the reporter “behaved in an inappropriate and unprofessional way,” but details of that claim are not elaborated in these reports [1] [13].
7. Why this matters — norms, gender and presidential rhetoric
News organizations and press-watch groups framed the episode as part of an ongoing concern over presidential rhetoric toward the press and, in particular, toward female reporters, citing past incidents and organizational condemnations [4] [5] [6]. The White House’s response that the remark reflected “frankness” signals an effort to normalize confrontational language; critics view that as eroding norms of respect between the presidency and the press [5] [6].
If you want, I can compile a short playlist of the video clips and key news articles cited here so you can view the footage and primary reporting directly (all items above are drawn from the listed coverage: [4]–[4]5).