The White House has responded after Donald Trump referred to a reporter aboard Air Force One as a ‘piggy’.
On November 14, Trump boarded the presidential aircraft to head to his Mar-A-Lago retreat in Florida for the weekend.
As is customary with the president’s travels, Trump was accompanied by members of the press aboard Air Force One, including Bloomberg reporter Catherine Lucey.
During the flight, Lucey inquired if there was anything ‘incriminating’ in the recent release of Epstein emails, which appeared to irritate Trump.
Pointing at her, Trump remarked: “Quiet. Quiet, piggy.”
“You are the worst! You’re with Bloomberg, right? You are the worst!” Trump continued, adding: “I don’t know why they even have you.”
Watch the controversial incident below:
Following the remarks, Trump faced criticism online, with a Bloomberg News representative telling the Guardian: “Our White House journalists perform a vital public service, asking questions without fear or favor. We remain focused on reporting issues of public interest fairly and accurately.”
A White House official has since defended Trump’s comments, stating to PEOPLE: “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.”
No specifics were given regarding Lucey’s alleged conduct.
Earlier in the month, the Oversight Committee released documents as part of its investigation into convicted sex offenders Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
Before Trump’s abrupt comments to Lucey, he was questioned about an email in which Epstein suggested Trump ‘knew about the girls’.
“I know nothing about that,” the president quickly responded. “They would’ve announced that a long time ago.
“It’s really what did he mean when he spent all the time with Bill Clinton, with the president of Harvard, who, you know who that is. Summers, Larry Summers, whatever his name is.”
Trump has consistently denied any knowledge of Epstein’s sex trafficking activities, asserting that their relationship soured years before Epstein’s arrest and charges.
After the emails were leaked and Trump was mentioned, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated: “The Democrats selectively leaked emails to the liberal media to create a fake narrative to smear President Trump.
“These stories are nothing more than bad-faith efforts to distract from President Trump’s historic accomplishments, and any American with common sense sees right through this hoax and clear distraction from the government opening back up again.”