White House defends Trump calling a female reporter ‘piggy’
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White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said reporters should appreciate his openness in answering questions.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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WASHINGTON - The White House on Nov 20 defended US 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, Mr Trump leaned towards the reporter, pointed his finger and said, “Quiet, piggy” as she pressed him about a recently released Epstein e-mail
Asked on Nov 20 about the incident, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said American voters re-elected Mr Trump for his frankness and that reporters should appreciate his openness in answering questions.
“He calls out fake news when he sees it and gets frustrated with reporters who spread false information,” Ms Leavitt said during a White House briefing, offering no evidence of false information being reported. “But he also provides unprecedented access to the press and answers questions on a near-daily basis.”
On Nov 18 in the Oval Office, Mr Trump called another female reporter “a terrible person” after she asked visiting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman about the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and asked Mr Trump why he had not released the Epstein files.
Mr Trump signed legislation on Nov 19 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 (SPJ) issued a statement this week condemning Mr Trump’s disparaging language towards the reporters, noting his history of using demeaning language to discredit women. The White House declined to comment beyond Ms Leavitt’s earlier statement regarding Mr 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.” REUTERS
