Karoline Leavitt Tells Reporter Trump’s ‘Piggy’ Insult Shows He’s ‘Respectful’ by Being ‘Honest to Your Faces’

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has weighed in on the viral moment in which President Donald Trump called a female reporter “Piggy.”

During her briefing on Thursday, Nov. 20, Leavitt was asked about the exchange, which took place aboard Air Force One on Friday, Nov. 14. The president was speaking with reporters when Bloomberg correspondent Catherine Lucey questioned him about the Epstein files.

After Trump said he had a “bad relationship” with Jeffrey Epstein, Lucey tried to press further, beginning, “Sir, if there’s nothing incriminating in the files…” Trump cut her off, pointed in her direction and said, “Quiet. Quiet, Piggy,” before moving on to other questions.

Leavitt framed the remark as part of the president’s direct style.

“Look, the president is very frank and honest with everyone in this room,” she said. “You’ve all seen it yourselves. You’ve all experienced it yourselves. And I think it’s one of the many reasons the American people reelected this president, because of his frankness.”

She went on to argue that Trump frequently challenges what he views as unfair coverage.

“He calls out fake news when he sees it. He gets frustrated with reporters when you lie about him, when you spread fake news about him and his administration,” Leavitt said. “But he also is the most transparent president in history, and he gives all of you in this room unprecedented access. You’re in the Oval Office almost every day, asking the president questions.”

Leavitt added that, in her view, Trump’s bluntness is preferable to what she described as the communication style of the previous administration.

“And so I think the president being frank and open and honest to your faces, rather than hiding behind your backs, is frankly a lot more respectful than what you saw in the last administration,” she said. “I think everyone in this room should appreciate the frankness and the openness that you get from President Trump on a near-daily basis.”

Her comments followed a separate White House defense of the “Piggy” remark, which criticized Lucey’s conduct on the plane without specifying what was considered inappropriate. The message concluded with the line: “If you’re going to give it, you have to be able to take.”

The Air Force One incident was not the only recent clash between Trump and a female reporter. Days after the clip spread online, the president had another tense exchange — this time in the Oval Office during a joint press conference with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Trump scolded reporters for what he said were questions that “embarrass[ed] our guest” after they brought up the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. When ABC’s Mary Bruce later asked about Epstein, Trump reacted sharply.

“People are wise to your hoax,” he said. “ABC, your company, your crappy company is one of the perpetrators. And I’ll tell you something, I think the license should be taken away from ABC because your news is so fake and is so wrong.”

He continued by calling the network not “credible,” arguing that its coverage was overwhelmingly negative, and ended the exchange by telling Bruce she should “go back and learn how to be a reporter” and that he wanted no more questions from her.