Trump insults another female reporter, this time for her looks
President Donald Trump insulted a female reporter’s appearance on Wednesday when he called The New York Times’ Katie Rogers “ugly,” marking the third time in recent weeks that the president has criticized a female reporter in personal terms.
In a post on Truth Social, the president called Rogers, “a third rate reporter who is ugly, both inside and out,” one day after Rogers and a male New York Times data reporter co-authored a piece saying there were signs of Trump aging in office. In the post, Trump also disputed the accuracy of the story, writing, “They know this is wrong.”
Trump did not mention the other reporter in his post and called the Times a “cheap ‘rag’” and “an ‘enemy of the people.”
A spokesperson for The New York Times stood by Rogers and her reporting, telling NBC News on Wednesday, “The Times’ reporting is accurate and built on first-hand reporting of the facts. Name-calling and personal insults don’t change that, nor will our journalists hesitate to cover this administration in the face of intimidation tactics like this.”
“Expert and thorough reporters like Katie Rogers exemplify how an independent and free press helps the American people better understand their government and its leaders,” the paper’s spokesperson added.
That Truth Social post came over a week after the president criticized ABC News reporter Mary Bruce in the Oval Office after she asked him a question about the Jeffrey Epstein files during a meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
“You know, it’s not the question that I mind. It’s your attitude. I think you are a terrible reporter,” Trump told Bruce, adding later that he thinks she’s a “terrible person” and telling Bruce that ABC is a “crappy company.”
Earlier in the meeting, Bruce had asked the president and the Saudi crown prince about the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, which U.S. intelligence in 2021 found was orchestrated by the crown prince and his associates. “He knew nothing about it and we can leave it at that,” Trump responded.
He chided Bruce: “You don’t have to embarrass our guests by asking a question like that.”
Representatives for ABC News on Wednesday did not immediately respond to a request for comment from NBC News.
Just days before that, Trump responded to another question about Epstein on Air Force One from Bloomberg reporter Catherine Lucey by telling her: “Quiet, piggy.”
Asked about that comment last week, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Trump is “frank and open and honest” and that’s what voters like about him.
“The president is very frank and honest with everyone in this room. You’ve all seen it yourself. You’ve all experienced it yourselves. And I think it’s one of the many reasons that the American people re-elected this president, because of his frankness,” Leavitt told reporters. “And 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.”
“I think the president being frank and open and honest to your faces rather than hiding behind your backs, is, frankly, a lot more respectful than what you saw in the last administration,” the press secretary added.
On Wednesday, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said that the president’s comments over the last few weeks are not related to gender.
She told NBC News, “President Trump has never been politically correct, never holds back, and in large part, the American people re-elected him for his transparency. This has nothing to do with gender — it has everything to do with the fact that the President’s and the public’s trust in the media is at all time lows.”
In a statement after the president’s comment on Air Force One, a spokesperson for Bloomberg News told NBC News, “Our White House journalists perform a vital public service, asking questions without fear or favor. We remain focused on reporting issues of public interest fairly and accurately.”
Though the president has recently criticized a string of female reporters, he has criticized male journalists and politicians, too.
On Tuesday, while pardoning turkeys at the White House, Trump spoke out against Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker’s efforts to block the deployment of National Guard troops in Chicago. He called the governor “a low-IQ person” and “a fat slob.”
The president added, “I’d like to lose a few pounds too, by the way, and I’m not going to lose it on Thanksgiving.”
In September, while late night host Jimmy Kimmel was suspended from ABC due to comments he made on air about Charlie Kirk’s assassination, Trump repeatedly criticized him on social media, calling Kimmel a “man with no talent” and a “bum.”
The same month, he responded to a question from ABC News correspondent Jonathan Karl about free speech, telling Karl in the Oval Office, “Jon, you’re guilty. ABC is a terrible network, a very unfair network, and you should be ashamed of yourself.”
“You’re not a wonderful person. Frankly, you’re a terrible reporter,” the president added later in his remarks.
Elyse Perlmutter-Gumbiner contributed.
Ahead of delivering the ceremonial Thanksgiving turkey pardon, President Donald Trump aired his frustrations with Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and former President Joe Biden.