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Did Trump call a reporter or the press 'piggy' and when did this occur?
Executive summary
Video released by the White House shows President Donald Trump telling an off‑camera female reporter “Quiet, quiet, piggy” during a press gaggle on Air Force One on November 14, 2025; outlets including CNN, Newsweek, The Guardian and others reported and contextualized the exchange [1] [2] [3]. The comment drew widespread coverage as part of a broader clash over newly released Jeffrey Epstein–related records, and reporters later identified the journalist as a Bloomberg reporter [4] [2] [5].
1. What happened and when — the moment captured on Air Force One
Video posted by the White House shows the brief exchange occurring during a November 14, 2025 gaggle on Air Force One when a female reporter began asking about whether Epstein‑related emails contained anything incriminating; Trump interrupts her, points, and says, “Quiet, quiet, piggy” [2] [4] [1]. Multiple news organizations published the clip and described the remark as coming in response to a question about newly released Epstein files that mentioned Trump [1] [2] [6].
2. Who the reporter is — identification and immediate sourcing
CBS News reporter Jennifer Jacobs first reported that the exchange involved a Bloomberg reporter, and subsequent accounts and reporting named Catherine Lucey of Bloomberg as the journalist who began asking the question [3] [5] [7]. Several outlets cite Jacobs’ on‑the‑record identification when reporting that a Bloomberg correspondent was the one Trump addressed [3] [2].
3. How news outlets framed it — tone and contextual reporting
Mainstream outlets framed the exchange both as a viral, disrespectful outburst toward the press and as part of an escalating media confrontation over the Epstein documents; CNN and Newsweek focused on the clip and its immediate spread, while longer pieces in The Guardian and Deadline placed it amid a history of Trump insults toward women journalists [1] [2] [3] [4]. Opinion and editorial pages treated the remark as emblematic of broader concerns about presidential comportment; coverage ranged from straightforward description to sharp condemnation [4] [8].
4. Official response and pushback reported
According to Snopes’ recounting of statements, a White House official told reporters the targeted journalist “behaved in an inappropriate and unprofessional way towards her colleagues on the plane” and argued “If you’re going to give it, you have to be able to take,” while the full White House video was cited as showing the Nov. 14 interaction [9]. Available sources do not mention a formal White House apology for the language; instead reporting highlights the official’s attempt to justify or contextualize the president’s words [9].
5. Historical context and precedent in coverage
News stories and commentators linked the phrase to earlier episodes where Trump used demeaning terms toward women — for example, past allegations that he called Alicia Machado “Miss Piggy” and earlier clashes with female journalists — and used that history to frame the latest incident as familiar rather than novel [3] [8]. Several outlets explicitly noted this pattern when analyzing public reaction [3] [8].
6. Why the Epstein files backdrop matters
Reporting emphasizes that the exchange happened as lawmakers and advocates pressed for release of unclassified files tied to Jeffrey Epstein; the House had released or was in the process of releasing thousands of documents that included references to Trump, which animated repeated questioning from reporters and heightened scrutiny of the administration’s stance [2] [6]. Newsweek and others connect the gaggle to that broader political and transparency dispute [2].
7. Where coverage agreed and where it diverged
News outlets uniformly reported the wording “Quiet, quiet, piggy” and located the incident on Nov. 14 aboard Air Force One; they diverged in tone and emphasis. Straight news pieces (CNN, Newsweek, People) stuck to the clip and immediate facts [1] [2] [10], while opinion pieces and some outlets used the moment to critique presidential behavior and cite past examples [4] [8]. The White House explanation reported by Snopes differs from many outlets’ critical framings [9].
8. Limitations in available reporting
All claims in this summary are drawn from the provided reporting; available sources document the date, wording, setting, and media identification but do not include a verbatim transcript beyond the quoted phrase, nor do they report a formal apology from the White House [1] [2] [9]. If you want the primary footage, Snopes and other pieces note the full video is available on the White House’s YouTube page [9].
If you’d like, I can compile the direct links and timestamps for the White House video and major news reports cited here so you can view the original clip and the context each outlet provided.