The White House has defended United States President Donald Trump after he called a female reporter “piggy” as she questioned him about the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The White House said Trump’s remarks reflected his frankness and transparency.
In the exchange aboard Air Force One last week, which has since gone viral, Trump leaned toward the reporter, pointed his finger and said, “Quiet, piggy” as she pressed him about a recently released Epstein email in which the New York financier claimed Trump “knew about the girls.”
Asked on Thursday about the incident, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said American voters re-elected Trump for his frankness, adding that reporters should appreciate the president’s openness in answering questions.
Leavitt told Reuters: “He calls out fake news when he sees it and gets frustrated with reporters who spread false information.
“But he also provides unprecedented access to the press and answers questions on a near-daily basis.”
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On Tuesday in the Oval Office, Trump called another female reporter “a terrible person” after she asked visiting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman about the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and asked Trump why he had not released the Epstein files.
Trump signed legislation on Wednesday ordering the Justice Department to release documents from its long-running investigation into Epstein after initially resisting having the files become public.
The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) issued a statement this week condemning Trump’s disparaging language toward the reporters, noting his history of using demeaning language to discredit women.
SPJ Executive Director Caroline Hendrie said: “Nobody expects presidents to be reporters’ biggest fans.
“But targeting women reporters with humiliating insults should not be tolerated.”
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