Donald Trump again criticized a female member of the White House press corps on Friday, December 12, adding to growing scrutiny over his interactions with women journalists in recent weeks.

Over the past month, Trump has faced repeated backlash for remarks directed at female reporters. In November, he referred to Bloomberg journalist Catherine Lucey as a “quiet piggy” after she questioned him about the Jeffrey Epstein files. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the comment, describing it as Trump’s version of being respectful and stating that the president is “very frank and honest” with all reporters.

In a separate exchange, ABC News correspondent Rachel Scott pressed Trump on a previous claim that he would release footage related to an alleged illegal strike on a suspected drug vessel. Trump responded by calling her “obnoxious” and a “terrible reporter.” He has also labeled CNN White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins “nasty” and “stupid,” comments to which Collins later responded publicly.

During Friday’s press interaction, Trump appeared to address another reporter, saying she was “very aggressive” and urging her to be “nice and easy.”

According to The Independent, the reporter was believed to be NBC News journalist Yamiche Alcindor, who later questioned Trump about the release of Epstein-related images.

Trump has previously criticized Alcindor, once calling her “second-rate” after she questioned him about an AI-generated image he shared suggesting a “war” on Chicago during an immigration crackdown. In 2020, during a COVID-19 briefing, he also told her to “be nice” and accused her of being “threatening.”

Following Trump’s remarks about New York Times reporter Katie Rogers—whom he described as “ugly, both inside and out” after she published an article about his health—White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson defended the president.

She said Trump has never aimed to be politically correct and that voters re-elected him because of his transparency, adding that the criticism was not about gender but reflected low public trust in the media.

The White House also pointed to Trump’s criticism of male reporters, noting instances where he called a Reuters journalist “third-rate” and accused a Wall Street Journal reporter of working for a “rotten” outlet.

In response, The New York Times defended its reporting. Charlie Stadtlander, the paper’s executive director of media relations and communications, said the outlet’s journalism is based on firsthand reporting and factual accuracy. He added that personal attacks would not deter its journalists from covering the administration and emphasized that independent reporting is essential to helping the public understand government leadership.