'Quiet, piggy': Trump faces criticism for insulting female Bloomberg reporter asking question on Epstein

US President Donald Trump, who has a long history of making deeply personal attacks on female journalists, referred to a Bloomberg News correspondent as a "piggy" during an exchange onboard Air Force One on Friday.

While the remark initially went largely unnoticed, it began circulating more widely on Tuesday and drew strong backlash from fellow journalists — including some who have previously been targeted by Trump, reports The Guardian. 

Catherine Lucey, Bloomberg's White House correspondent, used a press gaggle on the plane to ask Trump about the unfolding Jeffrey Epstein scandal and the likelihood of the House voting to release all files related to Epstein's case — a move that now appears likely. 

As Lucey began asking why Trump was behaving the way he was, "if there's nothing incriminating in the files," Trump pointed at her and said, "Quiet. Quiet, piggy."

CBS News reporter Jennifer Jacobs was the first to report that Trump called a Bloomberg News reporter "piggy," though she did not specify who the reporter was.

The insult quickly sparked condemnation. "Disgusting and completely unacceptable," CNN anchor Jake Tapper wrote on X, sharing a clip of the incident. Former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson also described the remark as "disgusting and degrading."

When contacted about the episode, Lucey referred the Guardian to a Bloomberg spokesperson. Multiple representatives for Bloomberg News did not respond to requests for comment. The White House Correspondents' Association — which has previously issued statements defending journalists attacked by Trump — also did not respond.

The term "piggy" is one Trump has used before. Alicia Machado, who won the Miss Universe pageant in 1996, has said Trump called her "Miss Piggy" and pressured her to lose weight when he owned the pageant.

In 2018, Trump administration official Lynne Patton used the same slur against longtime White House correspondent April Ryan — though Patton later apologised. That same year, Trump himself called Ryan a "loser" who "doesn't know what the hell she's doing."

Speaking to the Guardian, Ryan said Trump's latest insult was beneath the dignity of the presidency.

"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 that there's probably some fire there."

She continued, directing a rhetorical warning toward 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 praised Lucey for her persistence. "She did the right thing by asking, and he wanted to intimidate her, and I pray that she fights on."

The International Women's Media Foundation (IWMF) previously called on the White House in 2018 to treat female journalists with more respect, pointing to "recent demeaning language from the president against female journalists of color".

Elisa Lees Muñoz, the IWMF's executive director, told the Guardian that Trump's "piggy" comment fits an established 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 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."

Asked for comment, a White House official instead blamed Lucey. "This reporter behaved in an inappropriate and unprofessional way towards her colleagues on the plane," the official claimed — without offering any evidence. "If you're going to give it, you have to be able to take."

When pressed on what exactly Lucey had done that was inappropriate, the White House did not respond.