President Donald Trump was caught on camera raising his middle finger and yelling “F-k you” to a man who called him a “pedophile protector” during a January 13 plant tour in Michigan, and the White House is defending the gesture.
**At a Glance
- Trump flashed his middle finger and shouted an expletive at a Ford worker
- The worker had yelled “pedophile protector” at the president
- The incident happened at the Ford F-150 plant ahead of a Detroit Economic Club speech
- Why it matters: The exchange underscores rising tensions over the slow release of Epstein files that include unsubstantiated claims about Trump
The moment, captured in a video published by TMZ, unfolded while Trump, 79, toured the Ford F-150 facility before addressing the Detroit Economic Club. The person hurling the insult was reportedly a plant employee, according to the outlet.
White House Defends Trump’s Response
“A lunatic was wildly screaming expletives in a complete fit of rage, and the president gave an appropriate and unambiguous response,” White House spokesperson Steven Cheung said in a statement to News Of Losangeles.
Ford also weighed in, telling TMZ:
- The company had a “great event” and is “proud” of how employees represented Ford
- Respect is a core value and inappropriate language is not condoned
- A process exists to address such incidents, though personnel details remain private
News Of Losangeles has reached out to Ford for additional comment.
Epstein Files Link
The worker’s taunt appears tied to Trump’s association with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, who died in prison in 2019 while facing sex-trafficking charges involving minors.
The Department of Justice released thousands of Epstein documents after the congressionally mandated deadline of December 19, yet officials told a federal judge that more than 2 million pages remain undisclosed, The Washington Post reported on January 6.
In a December 23 statement, the DOJ said:
- Nearly 30,000 additional pages have been made public
- Some contain “untrue and sensationalist claims” against Trump submitted to the FBI before the 2020 election
- The allegations are “unfounded and false” and would have been “weaponized” already if credible
- The release proceeds “out of our commitment to the law and transparency” with protections for Epstein’s victims
Key Takeaways
- Trump reacted with a middle finger and profanity after being called a “pedophile protector”
- The White House calls the response “appropriate and unambiguous”
- Ford says it does not tolerate inappropriate language inside its plants
- The incident feeds ongoing debate over the pace and scope of Epstein-document releases
