Leavitt Defends Trump's 'Piggy' Remark to Reporter

The White House is defending President Trump's latest verbal attack on a female journalist, arguing that his bluntness is part of what voters want. In a Thursday briefing, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump's "frankness" is why he won a second term, after he called Bloomberg News reporter Catherine Lucey "piggy" aboard Air Force One last Friday, the Washington Post reports. "The president is very frank and honest with everyone in this room. You've all seen it yourself. You've all experienced it yourselves," Leavitt told reporters. "And I think it's one of the many reasons that the American people reelected this president, because of his frankness."

• "He calls out fake news when he sees it and gets frustrated with reporters who spread false information," Leavitt said. "But he also provides unprecedented access to the press and answers questions on a near-daily basis." Reuters notes she didn't cite any evidence of false information being reported.

"Quiet. Quiet, piggy," Trump snapped when Lucey asked him about the DOJ's files on Jeffrey Epstein. The incident has drawn criticism from press advocates and renewed concerns about Trump's treatment of journalists. "Our White House journalists perform a vital public service, asking questions without fear or favor," a Bloomberg News spokesperson told the Post this week. "We remain focused on reporting issues of public interest fairly and accurately."

• Trump escalated his attacks on the media this week, targeting ABC News' Mary Bruce at a White House event with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Trump called Bruce a "terrible person and a terrible reporter," labeled her network "fake news," and urged FCC Chairman Brendan Carr to revoke ABC's broadcast licenses after Bruce asked Trump and bin Salman about the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and asked Trump about the Epstein files.

• Trump has a long history of lashing out at journalists who question him, particularly women. The Post notes that during his 2016 campaign he said Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly "had blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever" when she questioned him during a debate.
• "These incidents are not isolated; they are part of an unmistakable pattern of hostility—often directed at women—that undermines the essential role of a free and independent press," the Society of Professional Journalists said in a statement Wednesday.
• Trump "very much directs his ire at women, and usually women journalists of color," Elisa Lees Muñoz, executive director of the International Women's Media Foundation, tells CBC News. "With the obvious intention of shutting them up. Shutting them up on the spot," Muñoz said. "It's a well-known playbook. It's meant to incite. And it's meant to send a message to everyone around these women: Next time it's going to be you."