Featured Image Credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Topics: Donald Trump, US News
Callum Jones
Donald Trump hit out at another female reporter who was part of the White House press corps on Friday (December 12).
Over the last month or so, Trump has come under considerable scrutiny for his behavior towards female reporters.
In November, the president told Catherine Lucey, a Bloomberg journalist, 'quiet piggy' after she asked about the Jeffrey Epstein files.
The White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt addressed Trump's comment to Lucey, saying that it was his way of being 'respectful', adding: "Look, the president is very frank & honest with everyone in this room."
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And in another instance, ABC News reporter Rachel Scott pressed the 79-year-old on his previous claim that he'd release a video on a potential illegal strike on an alleged drug boat, which led him to unleash a tirade against her, calling her 'obnoxious' and a 'terrible reporter'.
He also branded CNN's White House correspondent, Kaitlan Collins, 'nasty' and 'stupid', which she later responded to.
On Friday (December 12), the president spoke to members of the press, where he appeared to respond to a reporter by telling her that 'she's very aggressive'.
"You have to be nice and easy, nice and easy," Trump told the reporter. "She’s very aggressive.”
According to The Independent, the reporter in question appeared to be NBC News' Yamiche Alcindor, who later asked him about the Epstein images being released when called on.
It's not the first time Trump has criticised Alcindor, having previously described her as 'second-rate' after she asked him about an AI image he shared about declaring 'war' on Chicago amid an immigration crackdown.
And back in 2020, during a Covid-19 press briefing, Trump insisted that Alcindor 'be nice' and not be 'threatening' in one exchange.
After a scathing response from Trump towards New York Times reporter, Katie Rogers, where he called her 'ugly, both inside and out' following her article about his health, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said: "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."
The White House have also pointed to other instances of Trump calling out male reporters, such as describing a Reuters reporter as being 'third-rate', or criticising a Wall Street Journal reporter for working for a 'rotten' publication.
Meanwhile, The New York Times also responded to Trump's comments, as Charlie Stadtlander, the executive director of media relations and communications for the publication, said: "The Times’s 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."
UNILAD has contacted Alcindor for comment.