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Are there video or audio recordings verifying Trump called a reporter 'piggy' and where can they be accessed?
Executive summary
Multiple news organizations say President Trump called a Bloomberg reporter “Quiet, piggy” during a press gaggle aboard Air Force One on Nov. 14, 2025, and video of the exchange has been published by the White House and picked up by outlets [1] [2]. Major outlets — Reuters, The New York Times, CNN, The Guardian, PBS, CBC and others — describe the same clip and identify the reporter as Bloomberg’s Catherine Lucey [1] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7].
1. What the reporting says happened
Journalists reporting the incident say that during a scrum on Air Force One, Catherine Lucey asked why Mr. Trump would not release remaining files related to Jeffrey Epstein; the president pointed at her and said, “Quiet. Quiet, piggy,” cutting her off [8] [9]. CBS’s Jennifer Jacobs first reported the “piggy” remark and later reporting and video excerpts circulated widely across mainstream outlets [5] [10].
2. Is there video or audio of the remark — and where to find it?
Fact-checking and media pieces cite that the full video is available on the White House’s YouTube page and that outlets used that footage in their reports [2]. News organizations published clips or embedded the White House video in stories — for example, CNN, PBS/Associated Press and Reuters ran or linked to video excerpts in their coverage [4] [6] [1]. If you want the primary recording, current reporting points to the White House’s posted Air Force One gaggle video as the source [2].
3. How outlets identified the reporter and corroborated the exchange
Reporting names Bloomberg correspondent Catherine Lucey as the reporter who was addressed and summarizes the exchange; outlets including The New York Times, The Guardian, People and The Telegraph relay her identity and the sequence of events [3] [5] [11] [8]. Some accounts note that CBS’s Jennifer Jacobs first tweeted that a Bloomberg reporter was called “piggy” before the reporter was named [5].
4. Official responses and competing framings
The White House, via Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, defended Trump’s language as “frankness” and openness and framed it as frustration with reporters who spread “fake news” [3] [6]. That position contrasts with press watchdogs and many reporters who called the remark demeaning and unacceptable; CNN’s Jake Tapper and other media figures publicly criticized the insult [3]. The divergent reactions show a clear split between the White House’s defensive framing and criticism from journalism groups and parts of the press corps [1] [3].
5. What fact-checkers and archival reporting add
Snopes recorded the exchange and reported that a White House official did not deny the words, pointing readers to the full White House video on YouTube as evidence [2]. Multiple outlets say the clip “went viral” online and that the video was the basis for subsequent reporting and backlash [12] [1].
6. Limitations in the available reporting
Available sources do not provide an independent authenticated audio transcript beyond the posted White House video and the clips republished by outlets; journalism accounts rely on that same footage and on on-the-record statements from spokespeople [2] [4]. If you are seeking an alternate, separately recorded audio channel (e.g., a reporter’s recorder or a pool audio file) current reporting does not specify any other publicly released, independent audio source beyond the White House video [2].
7. How to access the recording safely and responsibly
Based on reporting, go to the White House’s official YouTube page to view the full Air Force One gaggle video cited by Snopes and news outlets [2]. Major news organizations’ stories — The New York Times, Reuters, CNN, PBS — also embed or link to the clip in their coverage if you prefer context from reporting alongside the video [3] [1] [4] [6].
8. Why this matters — context and implications
Reporters and press freedom groups characterize the remark as part of a pattern of demeaning language toward female journalists; the incident drew renewed scrutiny because it concerns both treatment of the press and sensitive public records related to Jeffrey Epstein [7] [13]. The White House’s defense reframes the exchange as presidential “frankness,” illustrating how the same filmed moment is used to advance competing narratives: accountability and media standards versus a claim of candor and openness [3] [1].
If you’d like, I can pull direct links from the specific articles above (White House YouTube link as cited by Snopes, and the video-embedded Reuters/CNN/PBS pages) so you can view the clip and the surrounding reporting yourself — tell me which outlet you prefer.