As US president Donald Trump continues to face online condemnation for calling a female journalist “piggy”, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has rushed to his defence by arguing reporters should “appreciate the frankness and the openness” they receive from the Republican.
To recap, last week saw the convicted felon shout “quiet piggy” at a journalist who asked him about the Epstein files on board Air Force One, an incident branded “repugnant” and “disgraceful” by social media users.
Just days after that scandalous moment, Trump lashed out at another reporter in the Oval Office who asked a question on the same subject.
He told ABC News’ Mary Bruce on Tuesday: “You know, it’s not the question that I mind, it’s your attitude. I think you’re 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’re a terrible person and a terrible reporter.”
Now, Leavitt has addressed the president’s recent remarks to reporters during a White House press briefing on Thursday, when she said Trump is “very frank and honest with everyone in this room”.
She continued: “You’ve all seen it yourself, you’ve all experienced it yourselves, and I think it’s one of the many reasons why the American people re-elected this president – because of his frankness.
“He calls out fake news when he sees it, he gets frustrated with reporters when you lie about him, and you spread fake news about him and his administration, but, he also is the most transparent president in history.
“He gives all of you in this room, as we all know, unprecedented access. You are in the Oval Office almost every day asking the president questions.
“I think the president feels frank and open and honest to your faces, rather than hiding behind your back, is frankly a lot more respectful than what you saw in the last administration.”
Leavitt’s remarks have now been criticised as well, with one Twitter/X user writing that the administration is “dumb as hell for doubling down on this” as “even their own base admits it crossed a line”:
“The bar gets lower with each passing day,” wrote another:
A third responded by saying “what passes for ‘frank and honest’ in Trumpworld now” is “juvenile misogyny rebranded as transparency”:
Someone else asked “how the actual flying f*** is calling a woman ‘piggy’ being more respectful?”:
And another said Leavitt was “horrid”:
Criticism was also levelled at other White House reporters, with author Don Winslow stating “not one member” of the press corps “stood up and defended their fellow member”:
Majid Padellan, better known online as ‘Brooklyn Dad Defiant’, wrote: “She is sanewashing ‘disrespectful bulls*** behavior’ as ‘frankness’ and the F***ING press corps is going to sit back and take it”:
indy100 has approached the White House for comment.
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