Verbal Exchange with‍ Bloomberg Reporter

Former President Donald Trump faced criticism after an exchange with Catherine Lucey, a White House⁤ correspondent for Bloomberg, aboard Air Force ⁤One last ⁣Friday. Lucey questioned Trump about his rationale for not ‍fully releasing files related to the Jeffrey Epstein‍ case, referencing his previous claim of having nothing to hide.

According⁣ to reports⁣ circulating on social media, Trump responded with a dismissive remark,‍ telling ⁤Lucey to “shut up, shut up, ⁢little pig.” This incident⁤ adds to a pattern of Trump’s critical comments toward female journalists, ‍whom he has previously labeled as “unprofessional,” “hostile,” or⁣ “threatening.”

threat to ABC ⁢News License

The criticism extended to a separate incident on Tuesday, where Trump threatened to revoke ABC News’ broadcasting license. This reaction ‍stemmed from a question posed by ABC News⁤ correspondent Mary Bruce regarding the murder of a journalist during a meeting with saudi‍ Crown Prince ‍Mohammed bin Salman.

Trump reportedly expressed his ‍dissatisfaction⁤ with Bruce’s reporting, stating, “I think you are a ‍terrible reporter” and suggesting she “should go back⁣ to studying journalism.” He further asserted that ABC News should have its license revoked.

White House⁣ Defense and‍ Press Reaction

The White House defended Trump’s actions,with a source⁤ suggesting ⁣to The Guardian that ⁣Lucey had ⁤acted ⁢”inappropriately” with ⁣her colleagues on the plane,tho no supporting evidence was provided.This justification,⁢ framed as “if you’re going⁣ to provoke it, you have to know ⁣how to handle it,” drew strong condemnation from press organizations.