'Quiet, Piggy!': Trump Blasted For Insulting Female Reporter Over Epstein Files

By Chris Spiker From Daily Voice

President Donald Trump is facing widespread criticism for calling a female reporter "piggy" as she questioned him about his ties to notorious pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Trump made the sexist comment aboard Air Force One on Friday, Nov. 14, as he flew from Washington, DC, to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida. The Guardian identified the reporter as Catherine Lucey, a White House correspondent for Bloomberg News.

In White House video from the media gaggle, Lucey asked Trump about why he was reacting defensively to releasing all unclassified files related to the Epstein investigation "if there's nothing incriminating in the files."

Trump cut Lucey off mid-sentence, before pointing at her and shouting, "Quiet! Quiet, piggy!"

The snide remark was first reported by CBS News' Jennifer Jacobs, but it gained more attention as the clip spread on social media on Monday, Nov. 17. CNN anchor Jake Tapper called Trump's insult "disgusting and completely unacceptable," while former Fox News host Gretchen Carlson said it was "degrading."

Lucey began her roughly 20-year reporting career in Philadelphia after graduating from the University of Pennsylvania. She previously covered the White House for The Wall Street Journal and the Associated Press. 

Bloomberg and the White House Correspondents' Association haven't commented on the incident as of press time. Lucey referred The Guardian's questions to a Bloomberg spokesperson.

The White House accused Lucey of acting inappropriately without offering any evidence.

"If you're going to give it, you have to be able to take," a White House official told The Guardian.

Gov. Gavin Newsom's office continued its months of trolling Trump on social media as the incident went viral on Tuesday, Nov. 18.

The California Democrat's account posted "Quiet, piggy" with several images of Trump, including an altered picture of him with a bloated, drooping face, along with a 2018 New York Magazine cover depicting him with a pig's nose. A third post included a picture of Trump as a pig in the Oval Office while holding a rendering of his maligned White House ballroom.

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters at Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, FL, on November 16, 2025.

Wikimedia Commons - The White House

This isn't the first time that Trump has called a woman a "pig."

Alicia Machado, who won the Miss Universe pageant while Trump owned it in 1996, has said that Trump called her "Miss Piggy" and urged her to lose weight. The former Miss Venezuela also accused Trump of slinging racist comments at her, referring to her as "Miss Housekeeping."

In 2018, Trump administration official Lynne Patton also used the "Miss Piggy" insult for then-CNN political analyst April Ryan. While Patton later apologized, Trump lobbed several insults at the veteran reporter during his first term, calling Ryan a "loser" who "doesn't know what the hell she's doing."

Ryan criticized Trump for his attack on Lucey.

"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," Ryan told The Guardian. "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 that there's probably some fire there."

Elisa Lees Muñoz, executive director of the International Women's Media Foundation, also denounced Trump's latest insult.

"President Trump's targeting of women journalists is nothing new," Muñoz told The Guardian. "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 towards the journalist, which not only impacts her ability to work, but also sends a chilling message to other women journalists who are confronting him with hard-hitting questions."

The House voted 427-1 on Tuesday afternoon, Nov. 18 to pass a bill ordering the Justice Department to release all of its records related to Epstein.

If the bill also clears the Senate, it would head to Trump's desk for his signature.