Former Media Columnist Condemns Trump’s Treatment of Reporter as ‘Bridge Too Far’
WASHINGTON – Margaret Sullivan,former media columnist for The Washington Post,sharply criticized Donald Trump’s recent directive to a reporter to “be quiet,piggy,” calling it a disturbing escalation of his long-standing pattern of disparaging the press,particularly women and women of color. the incident,Sullivan argues,highlights a risky normalization of unacceptable behavior and a prioritization of access over journalistic solidarity.
Sullivan, who covered Trump’s first term extensively, notes the incident isn’t isolated. She recalls Trump’s frequent clashes with Yamiche Alcindor, then of PBS NewsHour, whom he labeled as asking “nasty” questions.More recently, he called Alcindor, now with NBC, “second rate” and demanded she “be quiet.” He also publicly referred to April Ryan, a longtime White House reporter, as ”a loser.”
According to Sullivan, the press corps’ reluctance to collectively challenge Trump stems from a fear of losing access to briefings and facts. Bill Grueskin,a former editor at the miami Herald and Wall Street Journal and current professor at Columbia Journalism School,explained on Bluesky,”access beats out solidarity,every day of the week.”
Sullivan laments the gradual acceptance of such behavior,warning that continued inaction risks eroding standards of decency in public life. She questions whether enough people still value those standards, suggesting a growing apathy towards Trump’s conduct among both his supporters and the media.
