The White House defended U.S. President Donald Trump, who called a female reporter a "pig" (piggy), saying he is "a very candid and honest president."
White House Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt received a question at a briefing on the 20th (local time) from a reporter asking, "What does it mean that President Trump called a reporter a pig?"
Spokesperson Leavitt answered, "The president is very candid and honest with everyone in this room."
She continued, "You have witnessed and experienced it yourselves. I think one reason Americans chose to reelect the president is his candor and that he points out fake news when he sees it," adding, "He gets angry when people lie about him and spread fake news about him and his administration."
Spokesperson Leavitt also said, "But he is also the most transparent president in history," adding, "He allows unprecedented access to everyone in this room. You ask the president questions in the Oval Office almost every day."
The question referred to the intent behind President Trump, on the 14th, interrupting Bloomberg reporter Jennifer Jacobs aboard Air Force One as she asked why he had not yet released the "Epstein files," saying, "Quiet. Quiet, pig."
Criticism followed President Trump's remarks.
The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) said in a statement on the 19th that it "strongly condemns" not only the "pig" remark, but also his criticism of an ABC female reporter as "horrible" for asking Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman about the assassination of Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi during a summit at the White House the day before.