Leavitt Defends Trump's 'Quiet, Piggy' Outburst, Calls His Candor a Strength

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended President Donald Trump after video showed him angrily shushing reporter Catherine Lucey and saying “quiet, quiet, piggy” during a gaggle on Air Force One.

The exchange occurred as Lucey tried to press the president about the Epstein files; footage shows him pointing at her and interrupting her question.

At a Thursday briefing, Leavitt declined to explain why the president used the term “piggy,” instead praising his blunt style and framing it as honesty.

“The president is very frank and honest with everyone in the room,” Leavitt said, adding that his candor is one reason voters returned him to office.

She accused reporters of spreading falsehoods about the administration and said the president becomes frustrated when he believes he is being lied about. Leavitt contrasted what she described as face-to-face candor with prior administrations that, she asserted, either avoided the press or misled them.

A White House official later described the reporter's conduct on the plane as unprofessional and said journalists must be prepared to receive tough treatment if they press aggressively.

Critics say the outburst fits a pattern of derogatory public remarks toward women by the president. When he once owned a major pageant, he used insulting language about a former winner and has previously attacked other women in public exchanges.

“If there’s nothing incriminating in the files, sir, why not—” Lucey began, before the president interrupted, barking “quiet, quiet piggy.”

The incident drew rapid backlash and renewed debate about presidential decorum and the treatment of journalists, particularly women who press for answers. Earlier in the week, the president criticized another reporter who asked why he would not immediately release the same documents, calling her tone inappropriate and labeling her a poor reporter.

Observers say the pattern of confrontations has heightened tensions between the administration and parts of the press corps, and the Air Force One video has intensified public discussion about respect, civility and accountability in presidential interactions with journalists.