Trump faces flak for calling reporter 'quiet, piggy' over Epstein question

The White House criticised the reporter for acting in an 'unprofessional' manner with the US President

US President Donald Trump faced backlash on social media for calling a female reporter "quiet, piggy" when she questioned him about the Epstein files. The comment, made on Friday last week, sparked widespread criticism, but the White House has reportedly blamed the reporter for acting in an “unprofessional” manner.

 

According to the US news platform MS NOW (formerly MSNBC), a White House official said, “This reporter behaved in an inappropriate and unprofessional way towards her colleagues on the plane. If you’re going to give it, you have to be able to take.” 

 

Trump's 'quiet, piggy' remark

During a press briefing on Air Force One on November 14, the reporter asked Trump about a purported email from sex offender Jeffrey Epstein that mentioned him. According to a video circulated on social media, she had asked, “Mr President, what did Jeffrey Epstein mean in his emails when he said you knew about the girls?”

 

Trump said he knew nothing about it and then started talking about Democrats whose names were also in the emails. When the reporter tried to interrupt, Trump said, “Quiet, quiet, piggy", and moved on to another reporter.

 

Many people reacted strongly and criticised Trump, saying it was childish and insulting for him to make such a comment about the appearance of a woman.

Epstein said Trump ‘knew about the girls’

The Democrats last week released several emails from Epstein’s estate, claiming they showed that Trump may have known more about Epstein’s actions than he admitted. According to an email excerpt released by the Democrats, Epstein said, “...of course he (Trump) knew about the girls as he asked Ghislaine (Maxwell) to stop.”

 

In another email dated back to 2011, Epstein told his aide Ghislaine, “I want you to realise that that dog that hasn’t barked is Trump... VICTIM spent hours at my house with him... he has never once been mentioned.”