Who Did Trump Call ‘Piggy’? What to Know About Bloomberg Reporter Catherine Lucey

President Donald Trump got into a heated exchange with a Bloomberg reporter.

While speaking to a group of journalists aboard Air Force One on Nov. 14, the president told White House correspondent Catherine Lucey to “quiet, Piggy” when she asked him a question about the Epstein files. After cutting her off, he continued to answer other questions.

Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing tied to his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, who was charged with one count of sex trafficking of minors and one count of conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of minors in July 2019. Though he died by suicide the following month and the case was dismissed, the public has continued to question the high-profile figures in Epstein’s orbit and who knew about his alleged crimes.

Lucey started working for Bloomberg in March 2025 as a White House correspondent, according to Talking Biz News. Prior to that role, she reported on politics for outlets like The Wall Street Journal and the Associated Press.

Though the correspondent has not commented on Trump’s remarks, a White House official stood by them days later, claiming in a statement shared with PEOPLE that Lucey “behaved in an inappropriate and unprofessional way.” A representative for her employer told The Guardian that they “remain focused on reporting issues of public interest fairly and accurately.”

Here’s what to know about Catherine Lucey and how President Donald Trump’s remarks to her unfolded.

She’s a White House correspondent

According to her bio for The Wall Street Journal, Lucey started her political reporting career in Pennsylvania. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and worked for the Philadelphia Daily News. In December 2007, she married photojournalist Ryan Philips Donnell in Philadelphia, per The New York Times.

Lucey later relocated to Iowa, where she spent four years covering politics and government. She reported on the 2016 presidential race for the Associated Press and the 2020 presidential election for The Wall Street Journal.

There, Lucey continued to document the Trump White House as well as former President Joe Biden‘s administration.

She asked President Donald Trump about the Epstein files

In a video of the incident, Lucey can be heard asking Trump what Epstein meant in emails where he wrote that the president “knew about the girls.” He responded that he knew “nothing about that” and that “they would have announced that a long time ago.”

The president then shifted the focus to the accused sex trafficker and convicted sex offender’s relationship with former President Bill Clinton. Trump also said that he “had a very bad relationship” with Epstein for “many years.”

“He also saw strength because I was president,” Trump continued. “So he dictated a couple of memos to himself. Give me a break. You’re going to find out what did he know with respect to Bill Clinton, with respect to the head of Harvard, with respect to all of those people that he knew, including JPMorgan Chase.”

He told her to “quiet, Piggy”

After Trump’s response, Lucey began to follow up by saying, “Sir, if there’s nothing incriminating in the files…” but was cut off by the president. He snapped and said, “Quiet. Quiet, Piggy,” and continued to address a question from another reporter.

Five days after the exchange, a White House official stood by Trump’s comments to the Bloomberg correspondent.

“This reporter behaved in an inappropriate and unprofessional way towards her colleagues on the plane,” the official told PEOPLE, not elaborating on what classified Lucey’s behavior as improper.

The official added, “If you’re going to give it, you have to be able to take.”

She has yet to comment on the incident

Lucey hasn’t responded publicly to the controversy over Trump’s comments. However, a Bloomberg representative told The Guardian that the publication’s “White House journalists perform a vital public service, asking questions without fear or favor.”

The representative continued, “We remain focused on reporting issues of public interest fairly and accurately.”

This isn’t the first time Trump or his administration has referred to someone as “Piggy.” Former Miss Universe Alicia Machado claimed that he had called her “Miss Piggy” in 1996, and Trump official Lynne Patton called White House correspondent April Ryan the same name in 2018.