The White House on Thursday defended President Donald Trump after he called a female reporter “piggy” as she questioned him about the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, saying the president’s remarks reflected his frankness and transparency.
In the exchange aboard Air Force One last week, which has since gone viral, Trump leaned toward the reporter, pointed his finger and said, “Quiet, piggy” as she pressed him about a recently released Epstein email in which the New York financier claimed Trump “knew about the girls.”
Earlier this month, the White House imposed new restrictions on reporters’ access to key West Wing offices, marking the second major limitation on press movement in federal institutions this month.
Similar restrictions at the Department of Defense forced dozens of journalists to vacate offices at the Pentagon after they declined to sign a new policy governing access.
A memorandum issued by the National Security Council (NSC) bars journalists from entering Room 140, known as “Upper Press” without an appointment. The area houses the offices of press secretary Karoline Leavitt, her deputy Steven Cheung, and other senior communications officials.
On Thursday, Leavitt said voters re-elected Trump for his candour and that reporters should value his openness.
“He calls out fake news when he sees it and gets frustrated with reporters who spread false information,” she said, offering no evidence of any inaccuracies. “But he also provides unprecedented access to the press and answers questions on a near-daily basis.”
On Tuesday in the Oval Office, Trump called another female reporter “a terrible person” after she asked Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman about the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and pressed Trump on why he had not released the Epstein files.
Trump signed legislation on Wednesday ordering the Justice Department to release documents from its long-running investigation into Epstein after initially resisting having the files become public.
The Society of Professional Journalists issued a statement this week condemning Trump’s disparaging language toward the reporters, noting his history of using demeaning language to discredit women. The White House declined to comment beyond Leavitt’s earlier statement regarding Trump’s “piggy” remark.
“Nobody expects presidents to be reporters’ biggest fans,” SPJ Executive Director Caroline Hendrie said. “But targeting women reporters with humiliating insults should not be tolerated.”
The Trump administration has already removed Reuters, the Associated Press, and Bloomberg News from the permanent press pool, though those outlets are still occasionally permitted to participate.