Miss Piggy is so Right to be Mad
Allison Silberberg's Plain Talk
By Allison Silberberg
November 23, 2025
Good grief. Where to begin. You just cannot make this stuff up.
A couple of days ago, President Trump was on Air Force One taking questions as usual from the press pool. Catherine Lucey, a Bloomberg reporter, asked a question related to the Epstein files, and Trump pointed his forefinger at her and said, “Quiet, quiet, piggy.”
This was yet another example of Trump’s misogyny and disrespect for anyone who challenges him. Some have now joked that in terms of media relations, this was not a great move. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended Trump and said it was an example of his “frankness.”
It was gratifying and hilarious that Miss Piggy, the original and one and only Muppet, has taken great umbrage. Watch this clip, which I saw on Stephen Colbert’s show. (Skip to the five-minute mark.) Suffice it to say, Miss Piggy was not happy with Mr. Trump. Much of America is also shocked.
This past week, Trump welcomed the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, to the White House and heaped huge praise on him. Trump then sharply criticized Mary Bruce, a reporter from ABC News, when she asked a question about the Crown Prince’s role in the gruesome murder and dismemberment of Washington Post columnist, Jamal Khashoggi. Our nation’s own intelligence community determined the Crown Prince had ordered the murder. Trump said a number of unfounded, negative things about Khashoggi as well as chastised the reporter for her question, criticized her network, and then threatened to revoke the license of the ABC News broadcast network.
In addition, Trump posted on social media that certain Democratic members of Congress had committed sedition and should be executed. His post’s exact wording was: “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!” He then reposted what someone else said, “HANG THEM.” (The all caps are how Trump posted the words.) These Democratic members of Congress have now received thousands of threats.
All of this was in the last few days. And let’s not overlook the Epstein files. How did we get to this place in our country where so much is upside down? Disrespect for the law, for those in journalism, and for women across the board — the list is endless.
In January of 2016, Trump once said that if he shot and killed a man on Fifth Avenue, he could get away with it. He believes that he is above the law and that the norms of society do not apply to him. The majority of the public is starting to realize his behavior is horrible. If someone dares to disagree with him, he threatens them. Is this the type of world we want to live in? How long can our country withstand this kind of behavior and ineptitude?
Even the stalwart Trump ally Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has had enough and announced she would resign from Congress in early January. She dared to push for full transparency for the Epstein files and has announced that she is leaving for a number of reasons, including Trump’s calling her a traitor and the subsequent reaction from the MAGA world. Her resignation should be a strong wake-up call, especially for Republicans. The people demand the truth.
In response to Trump’s brutish behavior, I keep thinking about a line uttered by a member of Congress at the height of the McCarthy era, “Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last?” Perhaps we have finally crossed that line of decency at long last. It could be a start of the end of his tyrannical rule. We desperately need to get back to the important work of governance and leadership on global issues.
I think there is a throughline here regarding this era in which we live. There are rules for all of us. They are there for a reason. Rules apply to everyone. No one is above the law. President Trump should be no exception to this.
In the end, this week, the Congress voted nearly unanimously to release the Epstein files, and Trump signed the bill. The public has long known something was wrong and for months demanded their elected members of Congress vote to release the files. The pressure has been relentless. It’s not red or blue. It’s about the truth and transparency and justice. The Epstein files are really about the abuse of these women and all those who knew and either participated or did nothing about it. Who knew what when?
While that is all in the political realm, the sports world is also reeling. The audacity of Trump’s behavior has spilled over into the sports world.
Like many Americans, I like sports. I played various sports as a kid, followed certain teams and players. But now with all the sports scandals, I am wondering if we can believe what we see. Is it all part of its own cheating scheme?
I watched the recent World Series beginning to end with its amazing close calls, epic plays, and massive feats. What could have been better? It’s one of my favorite weeks of the year, and this World Series was so close.
Then almost like ice cold water on the face, there was the announcement from the FBI that they were indicting two Major League Baseball pitchers, Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, for their alleged roles in a sports betting scheme. Unrelated to the two teams in the recent World Series, these two pitchers are accused of betting on games in which they were pitching. These athletes allegedly threw wild pitches on purpose and made huge money on it.
Then we the people are left wondering what else could be staged. Is a hit that is not caught in center field or a ball that is thrown badly to 1st base or home plate also a possible form of cheating? The possibilities are endless and mind-blowing. What can we believe?
Say it ain’t so, Joe! That is the refrain from the Black Sox scandal from 1919 that affected eight players of the Chicago White Sox. Careers were ruined.
Last month, Portland Trail Blazer coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier were arrested in an FBI probe of an alleged gambling scheme. It involves the mafia, millions of dollars in betting, and a poker rigging scheme. And these are the professional athletes that we know about. Are there others?
No one should be betting on their own games in any sport. Period. If found guilty of wrongdoing in any sport, the punishment should be severe and draconian. The commissioners and team owners need to join forces on this matter quickly and do far more than what they have done.
What does it say about our society and our nation when it comes to vitriolic language such as calling for members of Congress to be hung or calling a reporter piggy or cheating in MLB or the NBA? Have we become numb to it all? Where is the outrage? Are our children learning that it’s all acceptable?
Ultimately, such harsh language or cheating is about the lack of a moral compass, much like lying. In the case of cheating, it is also about greed. But it’s also about something far larger: the well-being of our society, the moral clarity. It’s as if our moral compass is not only bent but is actually missing in action. And if we don’t address this, then we are at risk as a nation of crumbling from within.
Of course, cheating is not new. But combined with technology, it’s growing fast. So the public’s reaction must be swift. It’s growing and not only in sports.
There were cheating scandals related to popular quiz shows in the 1950s when “The $64,000 Question” and “Twenty-One” were found to be rigged. There was a big fallout as a result. The shows were taken off the air, and the public lost trust in television and presumably the networks. Federal law was changed so that it became a crime to pre-arrange the outcomes of skill or knowledge contests.
The FBI has a corruption division that focuses on these issues. They work hard to keep people in check. But now, many of their ranks have been fired. That’s a disaster in the making. In time, we should make it a top priority to beef up that division and thank all DOJ/FBI employees for their hard work.
It’s not only at the national level. As reported by multiple media sources, even at the local level, stories abound regarding conflicts of interest for elected officials and violations of rules and standards. Thank goodness for journalists who continue to pursue the truth and hold public officials and others accountable for their actions.
Without strong journalism, enforced rules, and consequences for bad behavior, the public trust is undermined whether in politics or sports or even game shows.
Standards and norms inform our civil society. What does it mean to be a bully, to cross a line, or to cheat? Do the perpetrators care? Are they held accountable? Who enabled it? What are we in the public to expect if standards and norms are undermined? And what is our responsibility as citizens to hold others, in particular people of import and influence in our society, to account? The public should never become complacent or find these actions acceptable.
Let’s all think back to the lessons we learned as kids from Mr. Rogers. Fred Rogers was honorable, kind, and compassionate. He thought of others. He was a true role model for tens of millions of children. He clearly embodied what it meant to have a moral compass. We need more folks like Mr. Rogers. Didn’t we all learn in kindergarten that name calling was wrong? Threatening someone is wrong. Cheating is wrong.
We live in an era that is begging for and even demanding more civility, authenticity, kindness, compassion, and honesty. We keep hearing about cheating, hate speech, accusations of wrongdoing. We need more people to step forward like Mr. Rogers. Has our nation lost its way? I hope not. And so I have been thinking of Mr. Rogers because each of us has the capacity to help right the ship in our day to day.
Mr. Rogers and his life lessons encouraged all of us to look for the helpers, be the helpers, and lead an honorable life. Perhaps we as a nation should think about those life lessons and what our children are learning from the current climate in our country.
#Trump #ChaosInAmerica #SaveOurDemocracy #Constitution #NoKingsDay #MrRogers #FredRogers #MoralCompass
Allison Silberberg is a writer and public affairs/public policy consultant. She served as mayor of Alexandria, Virginia, 2016-2019. Her work includes working on staff on Capitol Hill for Senator Lloyd M. Bentsen (D-TX). She is the author of “Visionaries In Our Midst: Ordinary People who are Changing our World,” which hit #1 on Amazon’s List for Philanthropy & Charity. Her writing has appeared in The Washington Post, The Dallas Morning News, on PBS.org. To learn more, please visit: www.allisonsilberberg.com
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