“Frankness” Versus Misogyny: Trump’s Apparent Disdain for Female Journalists

December 2, 2025
Jana Schodzinski

Piggies and stupid persons and third rates – oh my! November 28, 2025, marked the most recent aggressive exchange between President Donald Trump and a female reporter at a press pool. In response to CBS News Chief White House Correspondent Nancy Cordes’ question concerning the recent National Guard shooting, President Trump called the reporter a “stupid person," stating, “Are you stupid? Are you a stupid person?... You’re just asking questions because you’re stupid.” This follows a recurring trend of lash-outs against female reporters in recent weeks, with employees of the New York Times, ABC News, and Bloomberg also falling victim to the rhetoric. As the President seemingly grows more and more comfortable engaging in this manner, many theorise on what this will mean for female journalists in the remainder of Trump’s second presidential term.

The trend has, thus far, followed a seemingly obvious pattern of only victimizing reporters asking the President questions that are either more pointed or complex in nature. For instance, the November 28 instance regarded the citizenship of Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the suspect in the shooting. Specifically, reporter Nancy Cordes asked why President Trump blamed the Biden administration for Lakanwal’s residence in the US even though Lakanwal had been granted asylum under the Trump Administration. However, Cordes could not even finish the entirety of her question before the President interrupted with a series of insults. However, the instance of Trump’s lash-outs that garnered the most media attention was his now infamous “quiet piggy” remark. This occurred during a press conference in early November on Air Force One after Bloomberg White House Correspondent Catherine Lucey asked a question concerning the timeline of the release of the Epstein files. Other relevant examples include Trump’s calling ABC News Chief White House correspondent Nancy Bruce a “terrible person and terrible reporter” and “insubordinate,” as well as his referring to New York Times Correspondent Katie Rogers as “ugly, both inside and out.” The latter interaction, however, is unique due to its circumstances—Rogers co-authored an article concerning Trump’s old age and physical stamina alongside her male counterpart, Dylan Freedman. However, throughout Trump’s numerous statements on and offline concerning the article, he never once criticized Freedman. This has sparked the obvious conversation of how intentionally Trump seems to target female reporters.

In the days following Trump’s “piggy” comment, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the President’s “honesty,” framing his criticisms as straightforwardness rather than bigotry. Leavitt stated, “...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, where you had a president who lied to your face and then didn’t speak to you for weeks and hid upstairs and didn’t take your questions.” Leavitt has not yet made further comment concerning the President’s alleged “frank”ness. However, White House spokesperson Taylor Rodgers has responded to a request to comment, “President Trump provides candid answers for the American people while also holding the press accountable, just as he promised, whenever they shamelessly peddle fake news.” Meanwhile, President Trump’s niece, Mary Trump, addressed her uncle’s bias and hatred on her show, Mary Trump Live. She addressed these issues just one day before Trump’s lashing out regarding the DC National Guard shooting. Mary Trump stated, “His misogynist attacks…mean that he’s increasingly comfortable lodging such attacks.”

The recent attacks follow a months-long infringement on the freedom of the press by the Trump administration, be it restrictions on the press pool or complete funding cuts to national broadcasting. However, the personal verbal attacks are unique due to the direct misogynistic implications. As the Epstein files verge on their release, Trump’s criminal history of sexual harassment and assault against women has been brought back to the public eye to a much larger degree. Additionally, as his trend of scrutinizing these female journalists emerges once again, his past of the same behaviour is also publicised to a greater degree. Evidently, Trump’s decades-long trend of perpetuating bias against women in journalism will not only continue to end, but will continue to grow more prominent.

Extemp Analysis by: Jana Schodzinski

Question: How will President Trump’s personal attacks against female journalists perpetuate misogyny in the workforce?

AGD: Seeing as Donald Trump is a general goldmine for humorous AGD material, satirizing one of his many absurdist quotes would be the quickest route to an effective AGD for most extempers. Consider the infamous, “you are in danger talking to me right now”, or “what if a bomb drops on your head."

Background: Though Trump has recently made a huge comeback in the ‘mocking seemingly harmless reporters just doing their job,’ this is a recurring pattern. Include Trump and his administration’s history of mocking reporters since 2015.

Answer: Seeing as this is a descriptive question, answers will vary greatly per extemper. However, one sample outline may be:

umbrella: President Trump’s personal attacks against female journalists will perpetuate misogyny in the workforce by normalizing outwardly sexist views.

1. Sexual Harassment
2. Benevolent Misogyny
3. Internalized Misogyny

Analysis + Concluding Thoughts: Considering the descriptive nature of the question, the substructure that would work best is status quo/change. When developing your body points, be sure to choose three points with both distinct values and connecting themes that tie into your thesis. Happy extemp-ing!