Donald Trump has continued to demean and insult women reporters, calling them things like “stupid,” “incapable,” referring to one as “piggy,” and now groaning that CNN’s Kaitlan Collins “never” smiles.
During a press briefing on Tuesday, Collins asked Trump about the Epstein files, referencing the fact that several of his close associates — like Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnik and Tesla CEO Elon Musk — are mentioned. Trump brushed it off and noted that he hadn’t read the files. Later, Collins asked about justice for Epstein survivors, which seemed to set the president off.
Trump called Collins the “worst reporter” and claimed that CNN had bad rating because of her. Collin’s show, The Source, is frequently one of the network’s most-watched news programs.
“You know she’s a young woman,” Trump said to others people in the Oval Office before redirecting his attention to Collins. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile.”
He continued, saying that I’ve known you for 10 years, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a smile on your face.”
Despite the president’s use of childish and degrading language towards female reporters taking a notable uptick in the last year, the White House has insisted that the insults are “nothing to do with gender.”
“President Trump has never been politically correct, never holds back, and in large part, the American people re-elected him for his transparency,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told The Independent. “This has nothing to do with gender – it has everything to do with the fact that the President’s and the public’s trust in the media is at all time lows.”
The president’s niece, Mary Trump, has disagreed with the administration’s statements, saying on her show, Mary Trump Live, that the ramping up of such “misogynistic attacks” indicate that Trump is “increasingly comfortable” dishing them out.
“I think it’s also a sign that he’s a little rattled,” she added.
Here is a recap of the clashes between Donald Trump and female reporters in recent months.
“Quiet piggy!”
In perhaps the most infamous incident on November 14, Trump told Bloomberg’s White House correspondent, Catherine Lucey, to be “quiet piggy” on Air Force One.
Lucey had been trying to ask Trump about the Epstein Files, but only managed to finish half of her follow-up question before the president cut her off. “Quiet. Quiet piggy!” Trump said, leaning over and pointing at her directly.
Responding to criticism of Trump’s remarks, the White House claimed the reporter had “behaved in an inappropriate and unprofessional way.”
“If you’re going to give it, you have to be able to take [it],” the official White House response stated.
“Stupid and Nasty”
In another encounter with Collins in early December, Trump complained that she asked him about the cost of his White House ballroom, and insulted for asking the question.
“Caitlin Collin’s [sic] of Fake News CNN, always Stupid and Nasty, asked me why the new Ballroom was costing more money than originally thought one year ago,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “I said because it is going to be double the size, and the quality of finishes and interiors has been brought to the highest level.”
Collins replied in an Instagram post noting that in their last conversation, she’d actually asked Trump about winning the FIFA peace prize just before launching a military attack on Venezuela.
“Very loud.”
Though less overtly insulting than some of his other comments, Trump dismissed ABC News White House correspondent Karen Travers on January 30 after she asked him why he is suing his own administration and the IRS.
Trump chastised her — a member of the White House press corps, whose members regularly shout questions at the president — of being “very loud.”
“You’re a loud person. Very loud. Let somebody else have a chance,” Trump said.
Travers tried to push him for an answer, but he dismissed her and insulted her network.
ABC fake news. I didn’t call on you,” he said. “ABC by the way is truly one of the worst.”
“Are you a stupid person?”
On Thanksgiving Day, the president lashed out at CBS News’ Nancy Cordes in the wake of the D.C. National Guard shootings after she challenged his suggestion that the Biden administration had failed to properly vet Afghan refugees.
“Are you a stupid person?” Trump said. “Because they came in on a plane along with thousands of other people that shouldn’t be here, and you’re just asking questions because you’re a stupid person.”
“Ugly, both inside and out”
The day before (November 26), Trump took aim at veteran New York Times reporter Katie Rogers, accusing her of being “assigned to only write bad things” about him, and calling her “a third-rate reporter who is ugly, both inside and out.”
It came after the outlet published a story, written by Rogers, on the president’s health, age, and apparent “signs of fatigue.”
In a statement addressing Trump’s comments, The Times said that its reporters would not be intimidated by the president’s “name-calling.”
“The Times’s reporting is accurate and built on firsthand reporting of the facts,” outlet spokesperson Nicole Taylor said. “Name-calling and personal insults don’t change that, nor will our journalists hesitate to cover this administration in the face of intimidation tactics like this.
“Incapable” of acing a cognitive test
More recently, the president took questions from reporters aboard Air Force One Sunday night and was asked about recent calls by Minnesota Governor and former vice presidential candidate Tim Walz to release his MRI results.
“They were perfect, like my phone call where I got impeached. Absolutely perfect,” the president replied to a male reporter. “If you want to have it released, I’ll release it.”
Weijia Jiang, White House correspondent for CBS News, then asked: “Can you tell us what they were looking at?… what part of the body was the MRI looking at?”
“I have no idea. It was just an MRI,” Trump told her. “It wasn’t the brain because I took a cognitive test and aced it. I got a perfect mark, which you would be incapable of doing.”
“Terrible person and a terrible reporter”
On Tuesday November 18, during a state visit from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the president berated ABC News’ chief White House correspondent Mary Bruce for being a “terrible person and a terrible reporter.”
Bruce had asked questions about the Trump Organization’s business dealings in Saudi Arabia, and asked the Crown Prince directly about the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.
“Who are you with? Who are you with?” Trump asked Bruce, to which she identified herself as being with ABC News. “Fake news. ABC fake news,” Trump replied, before adding the outlet was “one of the worst in the business.”
The president then described her questions as “horrible” and “insubordinate,” before suggesting ABC’s license could be revoked.
“You are the worst”
Two days earlier (November 16), Trump clashed with another female reporter from Bloomberg, who apparently interrupted him as he was addressing reporters on the tarmac in Palm Beach, Florida. After she asked him about a controversial interview between former Fox News host Tucker Carlson and white supremacist Nick Fuentes, Trump responded, “Will you let me finish my say? You are the worst.”
The president added: “You’re with Bloomberg, right? You are the worst. I don’t know why they even have you.”
