President Donald Trump's "quiet piggy" comment to a reporter has stuck out to Americans over recent weeks, but once upon a time, he was on the receiving end of such an insult.

On Nov. 14, a reporter on Air Force One was asking Trump 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."

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt brushed off a question about what the comment meant at a Nov. 20 press briefing, saying "the president is very frank and honest."

But Trump's comments fit into a longer habit of open hostility towards reporters, and he called 1996 Miss Universe "Miss Piggy" when she gained weight following her pageant win.

But when was he the "piggy?" Here is what to know.

Former NYC Mayor Ed Koch called Trump 'Piggy, piggy, piggy.'

When Trump was a rising New York real estate star in the 1980s, Ed Koch was the mayor of New York. He had a brash, outlandish publicity style that some have compared to Trump himself. Koch led the city from 1978-1989 and died in 2013 at the age of 88.

In the spring of 1987, Koch was in a loud development feud with Trump, who wanted tax concessions for an Upper West Side project that Koch wouldn't give, according to an archived story in New York magazine.

Trump called the mayor a "moron," and said ''the city under Ed Koch is a disaster,'' while Koch said, ''If Donald Trump is squealing like a stuck pig, I must have done something right,'' and called him "greedy, greedy, greedy," according to the New York Times archives.

Koch also called Trump, "piggy, piggy, piggy," according to New York Magazine.

Trump's 'quiet piggy' comment spurs fundraising from Society of Professional Journalists

The "quiet piggy" comment is not the first time Trump has lashed out at reporters. In another heated exchange in the Oval Office on Nov. 18, a few days after the "quiet, piggy" comment, ABC News' Mary Bruce asked why Trump would not order the Epstein files to be released instead of waiting for the legislation to move through Congress.

"You know, it's not the question that I mind. It's your attitude. I think you are a terrible reporter," Trump said. "It’s the way you ask these questions."

Trump did not answer Bruce’s question and instead continued to lash out at the reporter.

"It’s a Democrat hoax," Trump said, later adding: "I think the license should be taken away from ABC because your news is so fake and so wrong. And we have a great commissioner, a chairman, who should take a look at that."

"The president was clearly not happy with my question," Bruce said in her ABC News report of the exchange.

Trump's sharp words for reporters, especially women reporters, date back to even the beginning of his first presidential campaign. He spoke of Megyn Kelly, who had asked him at a Republican primary debate if he had a presidential temperament, later saying, "there was blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever."

In March 2020, Trump told White House correspondent Yamiche Alcindor, "Be nice. Don't be threatening." Earlier this year, he told a reporter asking about the TACO trade term on tariffs it was a "nasty question." In September, he was in a back-and-forth with a reporter trying to ask him a question, calling her "obnoxious," as she insisted, "I'm not obnoxious."

The Society of Professional Journalists has used the piggy insult as fundraising fodder. Until Nov. 30, memberships at the organization are $15 off with code "piggy."

"When reporters ask hard questions, they deserve respect — not insults," the organization wrote. "So, we’re reclaiming the word meant to demean a journalist and using it to build power, community and collective strength."

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.

Contributing: Joey Garrison, Rebecca Morin, 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: Trump was once called 'piggy' himself in the 1980s. Who said it?

Reporting by Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY NETWORK / USA TODAY

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