CNN’s Jake Tapper slammed President Donald Trump for yelling at a reporter trying to question him about Jeffrey Epstein.
In a video released by the White House, Trump, 79, can be seen pointing at a female reporter and saying “quiet, quiet piggy” after she asked a follow-up question about his former friend and convicted sex offender.
In response to the video, the CNN anchor called Trump’s behavior “disgusting and completely unacceptable” in a post on X, joining a chorus of other prominent figures who have criticized the president for his comment.
After a woman reporter asked about President Trump’s name being raised in emails sent by convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Trump snaps at her: “Quiet, piggy!”
Disgusting and completely unacceptable. https://t.co/5NNaF86aEJ— Jake Tapper 🦅 (@jaketapper) November 18, 2025
The reporter in the video, who was identified as Bloomberg’s White House correspondent Catherine Lucey, referred to Trump as “Mr. President” and asked him about the newly released emails in which Epstein told author Michael Wolff in 2019 that the president “knew about the girls.”
Trump replied that he “didn’t know anything” about the emails and instead urged the reporter to focus on the times the late sex offender—who died in prison in 2019—allegedly spent with former President Bill Clinton, 79. He added that he and Epstein had a “very bad relationship for many years,” and snarled when the reporter tried to ask another question.
In a statement for the Daily Beast, the White House said the reporter “behaved in an inappropriate and unprofessional way towards her colleagues on the plane” and added, “If you’re going to give it, you have to be able to take it.”
Quiet, piggy. pic.twitter.com/NRmQLMtc7U
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) November 18, 2025
Since the video gained public attention, California Governor Gavin Newsom has criticized Trump by posting photos—both real and edited—showing the president eating, hanging out with Epstein, or depicted as a pig, captioned “quiet, piggy.” Former Republican and anti-Trump author Rick Wilson also shared a mocking photo of Trump with the same caption.
This was not the first time that the president has lashed out at a female reporter. In October, Trump publicly said at a press conference that CNN White House Correspondent Kristen Holmes was “one of the worst reporters that you’ll ever see.” Shortly after the incident on Air Force One, the president told ABC White House Correspondent Mary Bruce to “learn how to be a reporter.”
CNN anchor, Kaitlan Collins, defended Bruce and Lucy on X, writing that her colleagues “both do a great job.”
Since the start of his second term, the president has tried to push back on reporters’ questions about Epstein and has been reluctant to release files on the late sex offender, despite promising to do so during his presidential campaign.
However, on Sunday, Trump appeared to back down from his position, posting on Truth Social that House Republicans should “vote to release the Epstein files” because they have “nothing to hide.” He also directed U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate Epstein’s relationship with Clinton.
On Tuesday, the House voted to release the Epstein files in a bipartisan vote, with only one Republican, Rep. Clay Higgins, voting “no.”
The post CNN Host Slams Trump for ‘Quiet Piggy’ Moment appeared first on The Daily Beast.
