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 personally criticized a female reporter.
IN fast on Truth Social, the President called Rogers “a third-rate reporter who is ugly inside and out,” the day after Rogers and a male New York Times reporter co-authored an article piece saying that Trump's presidency was showing signs of aging. In his post, Trump also disputed the veracity of the story, writing: “They know it's 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 New York Times spokesman stood by Rogers and her reporting, telling NBC News on Wednesday: “The Times' reporting is accurate and based on first-hand reporting of facts. Name-calling and personal insults will not change that, and our journalists will not hesitate to report on this administration in the face of such intimidation tactics.”
“Expert and thorough reporters like Kathy Rogers exemplify how an independent and free press helps the American people better understand their government and its leaders,” the newspaper spokesman added.
This Truth Social post comes a week after the president criticized ABC News reporter Mary Bruce in the Oval Office after she asked him a question about Jeffrey Epstein's files during a meeting with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
“You know, that's not the issue that's bothering me. It's your attitude. I think you're a terrible reporter,” Trump told Bruce, later adding that he thought she was a “terrible person” and telling Bruce that ABC was a “lousy company.”
Earlier in the meeting, Bruce said asked the president and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia about the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, about which US intelligence in 2021 The discovery was organized by the crown prince and his associates. “He didn’t know anything about it, and we can leave it as it is,” Trump responded.
He chided Bruce: “We shouldn’t embarrass our guests by asking such a question.”
Representatives for ABC News did not immediately respond to NBC News' request for comment Wednesday.
Just days earlier, Trump answered another question about Epstein aboard Air Force One from Bloomberg reporter Catherine Lucey, telling her, “Quiet, piggy.”
Asked about that comment last week, White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt said Trump is “candid, open and honest” and that's what voters like about him.
“The president is very open and honest with everyone in this room. You've seen it all. You've experienced it all. And I think that's one of the many reasons why the American people re-elected this president, because of his candor,” Leavitt told reporters. “And he calls fake news when he sees it. He gets upset with reporters when you lie about him, when you spread fake news about him and his administration.”
“I think the president being upfront, open and honest in your face rather than hiding behind your back is, frankly, much more respectful than what you saw in the last administration,” the spokesman added.
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said Wednesday that the president's comments over the past few weeks were not related to gender.
She told NBC News: “President Trump has never been politically correct, never held back, and for the most part, the American people re-elected him for his transparency. “It 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 an all-time low.”
In a statement following the president's comments about Air Force One, a Bloomberg News spokesperson told NBC News: “Our journalists at the White House do vital public service work by asking questions without fear or favor. We remain focused on reporting issues of public interest fairly and accurately.”
While the president has recently criticized a number of female reporters, he has also criticized male journalists and politicians.
On Tuesday, after pardoning turkeys at the White House, Trump pushed back against Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker's efforts to block the deployment of National Guard troops to Chicago. He called the governor a “low IQ man” and a “fat slob.”
The president added, “By the way, I'd like to lose a few pounds too, and I'm not going to lose them on Thanksgiving.”
In September, when late-night host Jimmy Kimmel was suspended from ABC over comments he made on air about the murder of Charlie Kirk, Trump repeatedly criticized him on social media, calling Kimmel “a man with no talent” and a “bum.”
That same month, he responded to ABC News correspondent Jonathan Karl's question about free speech, telling Karl in the Oval Office: “John, you're guilty. ABC is a terrible network, a very unfair network, and you should be ashamed of yourself.”
“You are not a wonderful person. Frankly, you are a terrible reporter,” the president added later in his speech.
