Every time Donald Trump has berated female reporters amid ‘piggy’ insult

It's nothing new that Donald Trump does not get on with large cohorts of the press.

The 79-year-old US President has time and time again attacked reporters and journalists alike. When asked questions which potentially pose him or his administration in a less than favourable light, Trump has no hesitation in stooping low and personally attacking the individual in question, often choosing from one of his stock responses in his arsenal of insults, which features comments on their alleged professional downfall and his signature 'fake news' slam when all else fails.

Now, time and time again, Trump has defended his interactions with the press down to the fact that such reporters he engages with are 'phonies' or asking him 'nasty questions', but many of his comments towards women journalists in general have been called out as misogynistic or sexist by critics.

Professor Ava Thompson Greenwell, PhD, with Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism, told The Independent that these interactions between the president and reporters could be characterised not as micro-aggressions, but micro-assaults.

"What he does is what we would call a micro-assault. It’s not subtle at all. It’s direct, it’s in your face, it’s a tongue lashing, it’s meant to cause harm. And that’s the definition of a micro-assault," she explained.

Meanwhile, Elisa Lees Munoz, the Executive Director of the International Women’s Media Foundation, added: "We know that he does not discriminate on gender with regards to his criticism and his attacks, but we have particularly noticed the way that he attacks female journalists and it is a very gendered attack, which really demonstrates some misogynistic tendencies that we see online and in the streets every day.

"It is really designed to shut them up, to try to get them to stop working, to belittle, to humiliate," Munoz resolved.

So, without further ado, here are a handful of instances when Trump has berated female reporters following the 'piggy' insult controversy earlier this week.

'Quiet, piggy'

A viral video of Trump branding a female reporter a 'piggy' earlier this week is still doing the rounds on social media.

The scandal occurred on Monday (17 November), while Trump hosted a press interaction on Air Force One, during which he was questioned about the recent release of the Epstein files by the House Oversight Committee.

Over 20,000 documents relating to Epstein and his heinous sex crimes, which were made public last week, featured several emails sent from the paedophile about the politician.

One email sent by Epstein alleged Trump 'knew about the girls', while another claimed he 'spent hours' with a trafficking victim.

Asked by Bloomberg News reporter Catherine Lucey if there's anything particularly 'incriminating' in the documentation referenced, Trump pointed a finger in her face, telling her: "Quiet. Quiet, piggy."

Unsurprisingly, the right-wing leader was subsequently slammed for his 'misogynistic' remarks, as one social media user questioned why the 'entire US isn't calling for his removal?'. "Trump is the epitome of a misogynist. No context can justify this," they added. "Disagree?"

People also called out other reporters in attendance - the majority of whom were male - who, upon hearing the appearance-based remark, refused to step in.

Take a look:

'You're a terrible person'

The following day (18 November), Trump sat down for a press conference meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Oval Office, where several White House reporters asked the pair several questions.

And one particular question sent Trump into a total spiral, given his shocking response.

"Mr President, why wait for Congress to release the Epstein files? Why not just do it now?" ABC's Chief White House Correspondent, Mary Bruce, asked.

Without any hesitation, Trump launched into a scathing attack on Bruce and repeated his typical spiel he tends to spout when questioned on something he doesn't want to speak about, claiming the woman was a 'terrible reporter' as well as a 'terrible person'.

He also hit out over her not asking the question more 'nicely'.

Bear in mind, this comes just after Trump told Jacobs, 'quiet, piggy', when she similarly questioned him on the Epstein files.

He continued to rant over what he's dubbed the 'Democrat Hoax', before calling out the ABC reporter's 'crappy company', claiming the outlet's 'news is so fake' and 'so wrong'.

Beginning his response, Trump jabbed: "It's not the question that I mind, it's your attitude. I think you are a terrible reporter. It's the way you ask these questions.

"You start off with a man who is highly respected, asking him a horrible, insubordinate, and just a terrible question. You could even ask that same exact question nicely.

"You're all psyched up. Somebody psyched you over at ABC. You're a terrible person and a terrible reporter."

Trump then blasted: "And ABC is [...] your company. Your crappy company is one of the perpetrators. And I'll tell you something. I'll tell you something. I think the license should be taken away from ABC because your news is so fake and it's so wrong."

He went on to claim ABC's news is 'not credible' and that Bruce was 'not credible as a reporter'.

Trump rounded off his rant, stating: "But I think the way you ask a question with the anger and the meanness is terrible. You ought to go back and learn how to be a reporter.

"No more questions from you." Take a look:

'Blood coming out of her... wherever'

While those two examples happened just this week, it's important to note that Trump's attacks on female journalists started long before he was made president for the second time, with many notable exchanges taking place when he was first running for the POTUS role.

He famously clashed with Megyn Kelly, who worked for Fox News at the time, just a matter of months into his election campaign.

Kelly, who interestingly is now part of the MAGA movement, opened the Republican Party presidential debate in August 2015 by reading out the instances that Trump has publicly belittled and demeaned women by calling them 'fat pigs', 'slobs' and 'dogs'.

Trump then responded by taking a swipe at comedian Rosie O’Donnell, with whom he has a well-known and long-standing feud.

"For the record, it was well beyond Rosie O'Donnell," Kelly pointed out before questioning: "Does that sound to you like the temperament of a man we should elect as president?"

He simply responded: "What I say is what I say."

Trump later went on multiple TV shows to discuss the news host, even appearing to reference menstruation at one point in an effort to discredit her line of questioning.

"There was blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever," he told CNN.

In an interview with Fox News, Trump added: "I have zero respect for Megyn Kelly. I don’t think she is very good at what she does. She’s highly overrated."

'Be nice; don’t be threatening'

During a coronavirus pandemic-related press briefing in 2020, PBS reporter Yamiche Alcindor asked Trump about the disbanded Pandemic Response Team, and Trump replied that she had asked a 'nasty question' and told her to 'be nice; don’t be threatening'.

'Nasty person'

During a 2023 CNN town hall in New Hampshire, Trump snapped at anchor Kaitlan Collins after she repeatedly asked about his handling of classified documents, telling her: "It's very simple that you are a nasty person."

As we say, Trump has a history of using the term 'nasty' to describe several women, including Hillary Clinton, Kamala Harris, Nancy Pelosi and Meghan Markle.

'Ask China'

During a Rose Garden briefing, Chinese-American CBS reporter Weijia Jiang asked Trump why he emphasised America's testing progress over other countries, to which Trump replied: "Don't ask me. Ask China that question, OK?"

"Sir, why are you saying that to me specifically?" Jiang asked to which Trump claimed: "I'm not saying it specifically to anybody. I'm saying it to anybody that asks a nasty question."

He then abruptly ended the press conference.

'Loser'

In 2018, Trump called journalist April Ryan a 'loser' who 'doesn't know what the hell she is doing' after a heated exchange at a press conference where he repeatedly told her to 'sit down'. He also called her 'nasty' and hinted at revoking the press credentials of journalists.