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Which journalist did Trump call 'piggy' and when did this remark occur?
Executive summary
Multiple news outlets report that President Donald Trump called a Bloomberg News White House correspondent “piggy” during a tense exchange on Air Force One on November 14, 2025, while reporters were pressing him about Jeffrey Epstein–related files (examples: The Atlantic, Deadline, People) [1] [2] [3]. Coverage identifies the reporter as Bloomberg’s Catherine Lucey in several accounts, though some outlets describe the journalist only as a Bloomberg correspondent without naming her [4] [5] [6].
1. What happened and when — the basic fact pattern
Video and contemporaneous write‑ups show President Trump interrupted a female reporter’s follow‑up question about newly discussed Epstein emails and wagged his finger, saying “Quiet. Quiet, piggy,” while aboard Air Force One on Friday, November 14, 2025, during a flight to Mar‑a‑Lago [3] [7] [8]. Multiple outlets timestamp the incident to that Friday exchange and tie it directly to questions about the Epstein files and emails that had recently been publicly released [2] [9].
2. Who the reporter is — named versus unnamed reporting
Several outlets explicitly name Bloomberg’s Catherine Lucey as the reporter who asked the question and was told to be “quiet, piggy” [4] [1]. Other outlets report only that a Bloomberg correspondent was targeted, citing a CBS News reporter’s initial tweet identifying the questioner as from Bloomberg without naming her [5] [6]. Publications including The Atlantic and Deadline present Lucey by name and describe the same exchange; People and The Telegraph likewise attribute the incident to a Bloomberg reporter [1] [2] [3] [4].
3. How news organizations and observers reacted
Newsrooms and press‑freedom groups decried the insult as demeaning and unacceptable. Bloomberg’s spokesperson emphasized the public service role of White House journalists when asked to comment [5]. Media figures and former journalists publicly criticized the remark as sexist or degrading in social posts and commentary [5] [2]. Coverage also placed the exchange in a pattern of the president’s past derogatory language toward female journalists and public figures [1] [10].
4. Why the exchange drew attention — context about the Epstein files
The question that prompted the outburst related to emails and records tied to Jeffrey Epstein that had been released or discussed publicly around mid‑November 2025; some of those documents mentioned Trump by name, and lawmakers and journalists were pushing for more disclosure [8] [2] [9]. Outlets note that the exchange occurred days before the president announced he would sign legislation to release remaining Epstein files, and reporters were pressing him about whether the records contained anything “incriminating” [2] [3].
5. Alternate framings in coverage — tone and emphasis vary
Mainstream U.S. outlets (CNN, The New York Times, The Atlantic) framed the incident as another example in a longstanding pattern of Trump belittling reporters, especially women, and highlighted past instances in which the president used similar language toward women [1] [10]. Tabloid and opinion outlets used more charged language characterizing the episode as a “meltdown” or “total meltdown” [11]. Some local and international outlets focused on the procedural angle (the release of documents) and the immediate news hook rather than broader patterns [8] [12].
6. What the available sources do not settle
Available sources do not mention any official White House disciplinary response or an on‑the‑record apology from the president for the remark (not found in current reporting). They also vary on whether the reporter was definitively named in every account; some pieces rely on identification via other reporters’ tweets rather than an on‑camera attribution [5] [6].
7. Why this matters — press access and precedent
Journalists and watchdogs argue the exchange matters because presidents’ treatment of the press can chill questioning and affects norms around access and accountability; critics cited this incident as reinforcing concerns about repeated demeaning language toward women in public life [1] [5]. Supporters or neutral framings in some outlets primarily treated it as a newsworthy outburst tied to a contentious policy moment (Epstein files), emphasizing the immediate substance rather than characterizing motive [2] [8].
Bottom line: Reporting consistently places the remark on November 14, 2025, aboard Air Force One, directed at a Bloomberg correspondent asking about the Epstein files; many outlets identify that reporter as Catherine Lucey, while a few note only that she was a Bloomberg journalist [3] [4] [5].