Alicia Machado of Venezuela, the reigning Miss Universe, listens while Donald Trump talks about the weight-loss program she'd be following for the next few weeks at Mar-a-Lago Club in 1997.

President Donald Trump's Nov. 14 comment telling a reporter, "quiet piggy," has reverberated through the week, but it isn't the first time he's called a woman "piggy."

Aboard Air Force One en route to Palm Beach, Florida, Trump had held a press gaggle to answer reporters' questions. One reporter was asking a follow-up question about the Jeffrey Epstein files when Trump cut her off, pointing a finger toward her and leaning in as he said:

"Quiet! Quiet, piggy," he said.

When asked about what Trump meant by the comment on Nov. 20, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt did not directly answer.

“Look, the president is very frank and honest with everyone in this room. You've all seen it yourself. You've all experienced it yourselves,” Leavitt said.

The moment has garnered a lot of attention (including a deluge of taunting spoof posts from California Gov. Gavin Newsom). But it isn't the first time Trump has called a woman "piggy."

Who did Trump call piggy?

Jennifer Jacobs, a CBS News White House reporter, was part of the pool traveling on Air Force One, per her social media posts. Video of the gaggle shows Trump calling on a "Jennifer" for a question shortly before turning to the other reporter and telling her, "quiet, piggy."

Jacobs' social media post says the other reporter Trump was addressing when he said “quiet, piggy” works at Bloomberg.

A Bloomberg News spokesperson did not name the reporter, but told USA TODAY in a statement the outlet was focused on reporting with fairness and accuracy.

She has been identified by other outlets as Catherine Lucey.

Trump called former Miss Universe 'Miss Piggy’ after buying the pageant

1996 Miss Universe winner Alicia Machado of Venezuela has said Trump called her "Miss Piggy" when she gained weight after winning the crown.

She was the first winner after Trump bought the pageant in 1996. (He sold it to talent agency WME-IMG for an undisclosed sum in 2015.)

In February 1997, Trump brought Machado to his private club Mar-a-Lago in Florida to sponsor a "wellness" program for Machado to lose weight, according to archives from the Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Network. At a press conference for the affair, Trump said it wasn't healthy to be overweight and that his office was "besieged" with calls about Machado.

In a 2016 interview on NBC’s "Today" show after Trump's treatment of Machado became part of the political news cycle, she said he called her "Miss Piggy" and "Miss Housekeeping" frequently to her face.

"That was really normal for him in that moment," she said. "That experience with 18 years old, that hurt me really deep inside."

Hillary Clinton raised 'Miss Piggy' comments during first 2016 debate

Trump's decades-old comments to Machado were resurfaced during the first presidential debate with a woman behind the lectern, when Trump and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton went head-to-head in September 2016.

“One of the worst things he said was about a woman in a beauty contest,” Clinton said. “He loves beauty contests, supporting them and hanging around them. And he called this woman Miss Piggy. Then he called her Miss Housekeeping, because she was Latina. Donald, she has a name.”

“Her name is Alicia Machado and she has become a U.S. citizen,” Clinton said. “And you can bet she’s going to vote this November.”

The comments seem to take Trump by surprise; he only asked, "where did you find this?” But the next day, he spoke to it.

"She was the winner and, you know, she gained a massive amount of weight and it was a real problem," Trump said on Fox News' "Fox & Friends." "We had a real problem. Not only that, her attitude."

He also went on a rampage on Twitter, now X, days later, saying Clinton shouldn't have brought up Machado in the debate. Clinton called the rant "unhinged."

Machado told the press following the debate that she thought Trump was prejudiced against girls, also a key part of Clinton's campaign messaging.

“I believe in her experience,” Machado said at a press conference the day after the debate. “For me, these elections are like a bad dream. I never imagined 20 years later I would be in this position, watching this guy saying and doing stupid things.”

Contributing: George Bennett, Palm Beach Post; Rebecca Morin, Roger Yu, Maeve McDermott, Eliza Collins, USA TODAY

Kinsey Crowley is the Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at KCrowley@usatodayco.com. Follow her on X (Twitter), Bluesky and TikTok.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Before 'quiet piggy,' Trump called Miss Universe winner 'Miss Piggy.'

Reporting by Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect