Former Trump campaign spokeswoman Katrina Pierson on Tuesday defended President Trump calling former White House staffer Omarosa Manigault Newman a “dog,” denying criticism that using the term is sexist and saying the president has said similar things about men.
During an interview Tuesday night on Fox News, host Ed Henry pressed Pierson over whether it is appropriate for a man to call a woman a dog.
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“Would it be appropriate for me to call a woman a dog?” Henry asked Pierson. “Yes or no?”
Pierson responded that it “depends what she did to you.”
“Omarosa bit the hand that fed her,” she added. “To me, that’s what a dog is.”
Pierson also noted that Trump has referred to several men as a dogs, including Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Mitt Romney and Brent Bozell.
“As a strong, black woman, I think everyone should be able to defend themselves the best way they see fit,” Pierson said when Henry pressed her on the issue.
Trump referred to Manigault Newman as a dog in a tweet on Tuesday, sparking backlash for what critics called a racist and sexist insult.
“When you give a crazed, crying lowlife a break, and give her a job at the White House, I guess it just didn’t work out. Good work by General Kelly for quickly firing that dog!” Trump tweeted.
Manigault Newman has become a critic of Trump’s White House since she left in January.
Her book, “Unhinged: An Insider’s Account of the Trump White House,” was released on Tuesday and contains a number of explosive claims about Trump and her time in the White House.