White House Defends Trump's Piggy Remark to Reporter

The White House defended President Donald Trump on Thursday after he referred to a female reporter as "piggy" during a heated exchange aboard Air Force One last week, attributing the remark to his candid style of engaging with the press.

The incident occurred on November 14 as Trump fielded questions from reporters while traveling on the presidential plane. Bloomberg News correspondent Catherine Lucey asked about Trump's past relationship with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender. Trump responded that he had a poor relationship with Epstein. When Lucey pressed for details on recently released Epstein files, including an email in which Epstein claimed Trump was aware of underage girls involved in his activities, Trump pointed at her and said, "Quiet. Quiet, piggy," before turning to another reporter.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt addressed the episode during her daily briefing, framing it as an example of Trump's straightforward approach. "The president is very frank and honest with everyone in this room," Leavitt said. "You've all seen it yourself. You've all experienced it yourselves, and I think it's one of the many reasons that the...