【By Zhang Jingjuan, Observer Net】Amid the sensitive controversy sparked by the "Epstein files," U.S. President Trump has repeatedly verbally attacked female journalists. First, on Air Force One, he directly accused a female journalist of being "quiet down, little pig." A few days later, in the Oval Office, another female journalist was called "terrible character" by him.

The White House response was even more absurd. Instead of apologizing for such derogatory remarks, it defended them, claiming that the president's statements reflected his "candor and transparency."

According to reports from Hong Kong English media such as the South China Morning Post and the Guardian, Trump's remarks on Air Force One last Friday (14th) initially did not attract much attention, but they began to escalate this week.

The incident was triggered by the latest developments in the Epstein investigation files. At that time, Bloomberg reporter Lucey asked Trump, "If there is nothing incriminating in the files..."

Before she could finish speaking, Trump interrupted her. Video footage showed him pointing his finger at her nose and scolding her loudly, "Be quiet. Quiet, little pig."

This open insult immediately provoked strong opposition from the press community. CNN host Jake Tapper shared relevant video clips on the social platform X, captioning it "Disgusting, completely unacceptable." Former Fox News host Gretchen Carlson also condemned the act as "offensive and insulting."

Facing support from colleagues and media inquiries, a Bloomberg spokesperson responded on the afternoon of the 18th, stating, "Our White House reporting team performs a vital public service, asking questions with fairness and courage. We will continue to focus on reporting on issues of public concern fairly and accurately."

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However, instead of apologizing for the president's inappropriate remarks, the White House tried to shift the blame onto the journalists. A White House official claimed that Lucey "was unprofessional to colleagues on the plane," but provided no evidence to support this accusation, and even added, "If you dare to provoke, you must be ready to face the consequences."

On the 20th, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt still defended Trump, claiming that American voters elected him president again because of his candor, and that journalists should be grateful for his willingness to publicly respond to questions.

"He provides unprecedented access to the media, responding to questions almost every day. He exposes fake news when he sees it, and gets frustrated with reporters who spread false information," Leavitt said, but never provided any substantial evidence of journalists reporting false information.

The report pointed out that such "little pig" type insults are already a "routine tactic" for Trump. In 1996, Alicia Machado, winner of the Miss Universe pageant, recalled that as the owner of the beauty pageant, Trump once called her "Miss Piggy" and told her to lose weight. In 2018, veteran White House reporter April Ryan was not only called a "failure" and "doesn't know what she's doing" by Trump himself, but also insulted by Trump administration official Lynne Patton as "Miss Piggy."

Ryan said in an interview that Trump's attack on the Bloomberg reporter was unbecoming of a president. "His actions are like those of a street thug; it's fine if his henchmen say that, but as president, he actually called a woman like that? This also shows that he is extremely uneasy about the Epstein documents, which likely do have problems," she said.

She addressed Trump with a rhetorical question: "When you yourself are in a pigsty and about to face reckoning, you should be careful when giving people nicknames." At the same time, Ryan encouraged Lucey to "keep asking sharp questions," emphasizing that "her questions were correct."

The International Women's Media Foundation (IWMF) also told the Guardian that Trump's behavior toward female journalists is not the first time. His derogatory comments based on appearance are gender-based attacks aimed at silencing female journalists.

Notably, on Tuesday, another female journalist asked Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman about the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and questioned why Trump had not made the Epstein-related documents public. Trump then called the journalist "a terrible person."

The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) issued a statement this week condemning Trump for using derogatory language toward journalists and pointing out that he has long been accustomed to using insulting language to denigrate women. "No one expects the president to be a fan of journalists, but using derogatory language to humiliate female journalists is unacceptable," the statement said.

Regarding the "Epstein files," Trump announced on the 19th that he had signed a bill requiring the Department of Justice to release related case documents, initiating a 30-day countdown to releasing the Epstein case records.

This article is an exclusive article from Observer Net. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7575005409925186100/

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