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Were there any women called Peggy on board when Trump called Lucey a piggy?
Executive summary
Available reporting identifies the target of Donald Trump’s “Quiet, piggy” remark as Bloomberg White House correspondent Catherine Lucey; multiple outlets say audio, video and pool records support that reading and that Peggy Collins — the Bloomberg bureau chief some supporters named — was not on the plane (examples: The Guardian, People, Hindustan Times) [1] [2] [3]. There was an online push claiming Trump said “Peggy” instead of “piggy,” driven in part by posts from X/Grok and supporters, but outlets and some follow-up reports say Grok corrected its initial claim and independent transcripts/footage back the “piggy” reading [4] [5].
1. Who reporters and mainstream outlets say was addressed: Catherine Lucey, not “Peggy”
Reporting by The Guardian, People and CBC identifies Bloomberg’s Catherine Lucey as the reporter Trump addressed aboard Air Force One and quotes the president saying “Quiet. Quiet, piggy” as he cut her off while she asked about the Epstein files [1] [2] [6]. Those outlets cite pool video and audio of the November 14 gaggle that show Trump pointing and speaking to a female reporter who is identified in coverage as Lucey [1] [2].
2. The origin and spread of the “Peggy” interpretation
After the clip circulated, some Trump supporters and at least one AI account on X (Grok) asserted he said “Peggy,” referring to Bloomberg Washington bureau chief Peggy Collins, not “piggy.” That claim amplified quickly online and was used to dispute the coats-and-mouths reading that the president had insulted a reporter [7] [4]. Coverage of the viral dispute highlights how a short, noisy clip can produce competing, politically useful interpretations that spread rapidly on social platforms [7] [4].
3. Corrections, transcripts and outlets that rebut the ‘Peggy’ theory
Follow-up posts and several news outlets reported that Grok issued a correction or follow-up acknowledging that the earlier “Peggy” interpretation came from ambiguous audio and “hasty name association,” and that verified footage and independent transcripts confirm Trump said “quiet, piggy” to Lucey [4] [5]. Multiple newsrooms (People, Hindustan Times, The Independent) likewise reported the line as “piggy” and identified Lucey as the addressee [2] [3] [8].
4. Conflicting narratives and media-political incentives
The dispute exposed different incentives: critics framed the line as part of a pattern of personal attacks on female reporters, citing past behavior and journalistic outrage [1] [6], while defenders and some partisan outlets pushed the “Peggy” explanation to cast the president’s words as misheard and to deflect criticism [7] [9]. The White House publicly defended the president and described the reporter’s conduct as “inappropriate,” a response observers note lacked supporting detail [1] [10].
5. What the sources do not say — limits to the record
Available sources do not publish a full verbatim official transcript from the pool that is quoted in every outlet; reporting relies on video clips, audio, pool notes and newsroom identification to attribute the comment to Lucey and to read the word as “piggy” [1] [2] [4]. If you are seeking an independent forensic audio analysis released by a neutral lab or an official, itemized transcript from the White House press operation in the public record, that is not cited in the materials provided here — current reporting rests on multiple news organizations’ review of the footage and subsequent corrections by social actors like Grok [4] [5].
6. Bottom line — was there a “Peggy” aboard?
Reporting compiled by outlets including The Guardian, People and Hindustan Times says Peggy Collins was not the person addressed and that Catherine Lucey was the reporter on the receiving end of the “piggy” remark; the “Peggy” reading originated online and from at least one AI/X post but was later qualified or corrected amid corroborating footage and transcripts, according to the cited coverage [1] [2] [4] [3].