Blog: Trump Sparks Outrage After Calling Bloomberg Reporter “Piggy” on Air Force One

A former president who has a long history of making highly personal attacks on female journalists referred to a Bloomberg News correspondent as a “piggy” during a tense exchange aboard Air Force One on Friday.

While the remark initially went unnoticed, it began gaining traction on Tuesday, drawing criticism from fellow journalists — including several who have previously been targets of Trump’s insults.

Catherine Lucey, Bloomberg’s White House correspondent, used a press gaggle opportunity to ask a question about the ongoing Jeffrey Epstein scandal and the possibility that the House would vote to release all of the related case files, a move that now appears likely.

As Lucey began asking why Trump was behaving in such a manner “if there’s nothing incriminating in the files,” Trump pointed at her and snapped: “Quiet. Quiet, piggy.”

CBS News reporter Jennifer Jacobs was the first to report that Trump had called a Bloomberg journalist “piggy,” though she did not identify who the target was.

“Disgusting and completely unacceptable,” CNN anchor Jake Tapper wrote on X, sharing a video clip of the incident. Former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson also condemned the comment as “disgusting and degrading.”

When approached for comment, Lucey directed the Guardian to a Bloomberg spokesperson.

“Our White House journalists perform a vital public service, asking questions without fear or favor,” the Bloomberg statement said. “We remain focused on reporting issues of public interest fairly and accurately.”

The White House Correspondents’ Association — which has issued statements defending journalists targeted by Trump in the past — did not respond to requests for comment.

The insult is not new territory for Trump. Alicia Machado, the Miss Universe 1996 winner, has long said that Trump called her “Miss Piggy” and pressured her to lose weight during his ownership of the pageant.

April Ryan, a veteran White House journalist, was also called “Miss Piggy” by Trump administration official Lynne Patton in 2018. Patton later apologized. That same year, Trump himself labeled Ryan a “loser” who “doesn’t know what the hell she’s doing.”

Speaking to the Guardian, Ryan said Trump’s latest remark was beneath the office he once held.

“The president of the United States is supposed to be the moral leader, the leader of the country, and he’s acting like some thug on the street,” she said. “It’s one thing for his minions to say that, but for him to call a woman that? That also shows how upset he is about the Epstein files. It lets us know there’s probably some fire there.”

She then issued a rhetorical warning to Trump: “Be careful how you call people names when you are in the pig pen yourself getting ready to go up for the slaughter.”

Ryan also urged Lucey to continue pressing Trump with tough questions. “She did the right thing by asking, and he wanted to intimidate her, and I pray that she fights on.”

In 2018, the International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF) urged the White House to treat female journalists with respect, referencing “recent demeaning language from the president against female journalists of color.”

Elisa Lees Muñoz, the IWMF’s executive director, said Trump’s “piggy” remark was yet another example of a pattern.

“President Trump’s targeting of women journalists is nothing new,” she said. “His appearance-based insults are gendered attacks meant to shut women journalists up.

“While name-calling may seem harmless, coming from the head of our government, it often sets in motion a torrent of abuse toward the journalist, which not only impacts her ability to work, but also sends a chilling message to other women journalists confronting him with hard-hitting questions.”

When asked to respond to Trump’s behavior, a White House official shifted blame toward Lucey, claiming — without evidence — that the reporter “behaved in an inappropriate and unprofessional way toward her colleagues on the plane. If you’re going to give it, you have to be able to take.”

When pressed on what exactly the reporter had done, the White House did not provide any explanation.