Following Donald Trump’s derogatory remark towards a reporter, branding her ‘ugly, both inside and out’, the White House has responded with a justification for the president’s conduct.
Previously criticized for using terms like ‘piggy’ and now ‘ugly’, the President has faced significant backlash online for his manner of addressing female journalists.
This incident comes shortly after Trump was mocked for seemingly closing his eyes and appearing to fall asleep during an Oval Office presentation. A major news outlet referred to this incident, which appears to have displeased Trump.
The situation unfolded when Katie Rogers, a journalist for the New York Times (NYT), authored an article released on Tuesday (November 25) that highlighted moments where she perceived Trump to be showing signs of age and fatigue.
In her article, she described instances when the president appeared to have a bruise on his hand, which raised health concerns online, as well as moments when he seemed to be taking a ‘nap’.
The most recent instance occurred earlier this month during a discussion with Dr. Oz, appointed head of Medicare services, about plans to reduce the cost of weight loss drugs for Americans. Some observers thought Trump appeared to be dozing off, a claim the White House strongly refuted.
The NYT piece, co-authored with journalist Dylan Freedman, received a harsh critique from Trump on Truth Social.
“The writer of the story, Katie Rogers, who is assigned to write only bad things about me, is a third rate reporter who is ugly, both inside and out,” Trump posted.
“The Creeps at the Failing New York Times are at it again,” Trump continued, alleging they published a ‘hit piece’ on him.
His recent online outburst took many by surprise, prompting the Trump administration to provide an explanation for his language.
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told People: “President Trump has never been politically correct, never holds back, and in large part, the American people re-elected him for his transparency.”
“This has nothing to do with gender,” Jackson emphasized. “It has everything to do with the fact that the President’s and the public’s trust in the media is at all time lows.”
The New York Times has since responded to Trump’s remarks about Rogers. Charlie Stadtlander, their executive director of media relations and communications, stated: “The Times’s reporting is accurate and built on first-hand reporting of the facts. Name-calling and personal insults don’t change that, nor will our journalists hesitate to cover this administration in the face of intimidation tactics like this.”
“Expert and thorough reporters like Katie Rogers exemplify how an independent and free press helps the American people better understand their government and its leaders.”
Requests for further comment have been made to the White House.