Tipsheet

What Trump Said to Bloomberg Reporter Triggered a Meltdown...and an Epic Response From His Team

Matt Vespa
Matt Vespa  |  November 19, 2025 6:30 AM

I love it. His base loves it, and how his social media team reacted to the mayhem that it caused was also elite. Last Friday, President Trump annihilated a Bloomberg reporter who was trying to ask about the Epstein Files. The vote to release them was held on Monday, where it sailed through the House and Senate. Trump gave the green light to release the files. The president referred to the reporter, Catherine Lucey, as “piggy,” which triggered a meltdown (via The Guardian):

Donald Trump, who has a history of making extremely personal attacks on female journalists, referred to a Bloomberg News correspondent as a “piggy” during a clash onboard Air Force One on Friday. 

While the remark did not initially get much attention, it picked up some traction on Tuesday and has drawn backlash from fellow journalists, including some who have previously been attacked by Trump themselves. 

Catherine Lucey, Bloomberg’s White House correspondent, had taken advantage of a press opportunity with the president – known as a gaggle – to ask a question about the unfolding Jeffrey Epstein scandal and the possibility of the House voting to release all of the files related to his case, which now appears likely. 

As Lucey started to ask why Trump was behaving the way he was “if there’s nothing incriminating in the files”, Trump pointed at her and said: “Quiet. Quiet, piggy.” 

CBS News reporter Jennifer Jacobs first reported that Trump called a Bloomberg News reporter “piggy”, though she did not specify who it was. 

“Disgusting and completely unacceptable,” CNN anchor Jake Tapper wrote on X, sharing a clip of the incident. Former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson also called the remark “disgusting and degrading”. 

Yeah, we don’t care. Sorry, whatever the media says is unacceptable vis-à-vis Trump goes in one ear and out the other. We don’t care, and the president’s rapid response team's reaction was exceptional. Look how they responded to CNN’s Kaitlin Collins’ tweet on the subject: 

Just fantastic.