Trump Repeatedly Targets Female Reporters, Calling Them 'Ugly,' 'Stupid' and 'Piggy'

President Donald Trump has repeatedly launched personal attacks at female journalists who asked him tough questions or wrote critically about him, using terms such as "ugly," "stupid" and, on one occasion, "piggy." These incidents occurred at high-profile settings including Mar-a-Lago, Air Force One and the Oval Office and have prompted condemnation from press advocacy groups and defenses from the White House.

At a Mar-a-Lago event on Thursday evening, correspondent Nancy Cordes questioned the president about the suspect in a Washington, D.C., shooting that wounded two National Guard members. The suspect, identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, is an Afghan national who entered the United States after the fall of Kabul and was later granted asylum. When Cordes cited a Justice Department inspector general report that Afghans who arrived after Kabul fell had been vetted and asked why Mr. Trump blamed the Biden administration, he replied, "Because they let him in. Are you stupid? Are you a stupid person?" He continued that the suspect "came in on a plane, along with thousands of other people that shouldn't be here."

Earlier this week the president attacked reporter Katie Rogers after she co-authored a piece examining his public schedule, travel and questions about his stamina at age 79. On his social platform he called the story a "hit piece," described the newspaper that published it as a "cheap 'rag'" and labeled it "an 'enemy of the people.'" He added that Rogers was a "third rate" reporter and "ugly, both inside and out."

On Air Force One earlier this month, while a White House correspondent pressed him about releasing files from the Justice Department's investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, Mr. Trump snapped, "Quiet. Quiet, piggy." White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the president's tone, saying he is "very frank and honest" with reporters and contrasting that with what she described as the previous administration's approach to the press.

In the Oval Office last week, while hosting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the president berated a correspondent who asked about the 2018 murder of columnist Jamal Khashoggi. A U.S. intelligence assessment previously concluded the crown prince ordered the killing. The president called the reporter "a terrible person and a terrible reporter," characterizing her question as "horrible" and "insubordinate."

News organizations representing the reporters pushed back, with spokespeople defending their journalists' work and noting the public interest in such coverage. A spokesperson for one news outlet said its White House reporters "perform a vital public service, asking questions without fear or favor."

Press-advocacy groups also condemned the comments. The Society of Professional Journalists called the attacks "part of an unmistakable pattern of hostility — often directed at women — that undermines the essential role of a free and independent press." Caroline Hendrie, the group's executive director, added: "Journalists are not props at a photo op — they are watchdogs for the public. When reporters ask hard questions about the murder of a fellow journalist, that is not an embarrassment. What's embarrassing is a leader trying to silence those questions."

Separately, observers have raised new questions about Mr. Trump's health following visible bruising on his right hand and swollen ankles; the president disclosed last month that he underwent an MRI during a physical at Walter Reed in April. The confrontations with reporters and the surrounding debate highlight tensions between the White House and the press, and have renewed discussion about civility, accountability and the role of journalists in public life.