In which speech or event did Trump say 'quiet piggy' or 'quiet Peggy'?

Checked on November 26, 2025
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Executive summary

Multiple news outlets report that President Donald Trump said “Quiet. Quiet, piggy.” to a female Bloomberg reporter during a press gaggle aboard Air Force One on Nov. 14, 2025, while she asked about newly released Jeffrey Epstein-related emails [1] [2] [3]. Coverage is consistent across major U.S. and international outlets naming the reporter as Bloomberg’s Catherine Lucey and placing the exchange on Air Force One during travel to Mar‑a‑Lago [4] [5] [6].

1. The moment: a gaggle aboard Air Force One

Multiple outlets say the exchange took place during a press scrum on Air Force One on Nov. 14, 2025, when a Bloomberg reporter asked whether there was “anything incriminating” in Epstein’s emails; Trump responded by pointing and snapping, “Quiet. Quiet, piggy,” before moving on to other questions [1] [2] [3].

2. Who was targeted: Bloomberg’s Catherine Lucey

Reporting identifies the journalist as Catherine Lucey, a Bloomberg White House correspondent; People and other outlets summarize that Lucey began to follow up — “Sir, if there’s nothing incriminating in the files…” — and was cut off by the president’s remark [4] [7]. Some pieces note the clip circulated widely online and on social platforms [8] [9].

3. Exact wording: ‘piggy’, not ‘Peggy’ — how outlets transcribe it

Across the corpus the widely cited transcription is “Quiet. Quiet, piggy.” Major outlets — BBC, CBC, Reuters, CNN, The Guardian, People, Deadline and others — present “piggy” as the term Trump used [1] [2] [3] [6] [10] [11] [7]. Opposing social‑media attempts to recast the line as “Quiet, Peggy” are reported as revisionist and contradicted by the video/audio that circulated [12].

4. White House response and defense

The White House defended the president’s language, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt saying the president “is very frank and honest” and arguing reporters should “appreciate the frankness” — a defense carried and quoted by outlets including PBS and Reuters [5] [3]. Coverage also records newsroom and journalism‑association condemnations of the language [3].

5. Context: why the question provoked the reaction

News reports link the exchange to broader controversy over newly released Epstein files and a contemporaneous political fight over whether the Justice Department should release additional documents; outlets frame the moment as part of an intensifying media‑political standoff around Epstein materials [6] [7] [13].

6. Media and political reaction: more than just a viral clip

Commentators and opinion writers used the episode to discuss patterns in Trump’s treatment of female journalists and to argue it crossed a new line of demeaning language; outlets such as The Atlantic and The New York Times ran analytical pieces about what the moment reveals about norms and misogyny in political communication [14] [15]. Some political actors and commentators turned the clip into satire and memes, while supporters defended or downplayed it [8] [12].

7. What the record does not say

Available sources do not mention any alternative official transcript or authenticated recording in which Trump says “Peggy” instead of “piggy”; rather, reporting emphasizes the circulated video and audio backing the “piggy” transcription and notes attempts on social media to recast the quote as “Peggy” [12] [8]. If you seek verbatim White House transcripts, some outlets note those versions have omitted the exchange or left out the “piggy” term [13].

8. Why this matters: norms, power and press access

News organizations frame the incident as significant because it involves the president of the United States using a demeaning epithet toward a reporter during an on‑the‑record interaction, raising questions about the treatment of journalists — particularly women — and about how administrations defend or normalize such language [16] [14] [10].

Summary takeaway: Every major outlet in the provided set places the remark — “Quiet. Quiet, piggy.” — on Air Force One on Nov. 14, 2025, directed at Bloomberg reporter Catherine Lucey amid questioning about Epstein files, with the White House defending the president’s frankness and critics calling the language demeaning [1] [4] [3].

Want to dive deeper?
When and where did Trump refer to someone as 'quiet piggy' or 'quiet Peggy'?
Was 'quiet piggy' or 'quiet Peggy' used by Trump in a campaign rally, interview, or speech?
Who was Trump reportedly addressing when he said 'quiet piggy' or 'quiet Peggy'?
Are there video or transcript sources that verify Trump saying 'quiet piggy' or 'quiet Peggy'?
How have media outlets and fact-checkers interpreted or reported the 'quiet piggy'/'quiet Peggy' remark by Trump?