Donald Trump‘s “Quiet Piggy” remark at a Bloomberg White House correspondent, Catherine Lucey, aboard Air Force One on Nov. 14 has caused huge outrage. Yet, his loyal goons refuse to criticize him. And Karoline Leavitt has the worst defense for him thus far.
Despite Trump’s reputation for insulting women everywhere he goes, the women in his administration remain unmoved. Being the Press Secretary, you would think Karoline Leavitt would have sympathy for reporters. But she proved that to be every bit wrong during a press briefing on Nov. 20, when a reporter bluntly asked her about the “Piggy” insult.
“The President is very frank and honest with everyone in this room,” was Leavitt’s first argument. She continued, “You’ve all seen it yourself, you’ve all experienced it yourself.” And sure, if Leavitt is referring to getting belittled, insulted, and ignored by the president, she’s right. Every reporter who asks him uncomfortable questions has experienced Trump’s “frankness” and “honesty.”
Leavitt then began her lackluster defense of Trump’s lack of manners. “He calls out fake news when he sees it. He gets frustrated with reporters when you lie about him, when you spread fake news about him and his administration.” You mean he calls every network “fake news” when he sees them asking him real questions? Sure. And the only time he is not frustrated with reporters is when they’re singing his praises.
The Press Secretary also called Trump “the most transparent president in history,” which might be true. But it’s probably because he holds no accountability for anything that goes wrong in the country. He lies his way through facts and boasts about his imaginary achievements at any interview or briefing he sits for.
But Leavitt was eager to compare him to the last administration, probably Joe Biden (via NY Times).
“I think the President, being frank and open and honest to your face, rather than hiding behind your backs, is frankly a lot more respectful than what you saw in the last administration, where you had a president who lied to your face and then didn’t speak to you for weeks and hid upstairs and didn’t take your questions.”
She also claimed that the president gives every reporter “unprecedented access” to himself. But Leavitt wants reporters to give away their self-respect in return. “I think everyone in this room should appreciate the frankness and the openness that you get from President Trump on a near-daily basis,” she claimed.
If you listen to her response carefully, there wasn’t one word that condemned the “Piggy” remark, or even addressed it. Instead, the Press Secretary wants respectable reporters to embrace Trump’s insults in the name of “frankness” and “openness.” Why? Because he is at least willing to speak to reporters, according to her.
With her outrageous defense of Trump, it’s clear that Leavitt wasn’t standing at the podium with a backbone. In proving her loyalty to Trump, she failed to stand up for a fellow member of the nation’s press. But it’s only disappointing, not surprising, at this point.
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