A factory tour meant to spotlight American manufacturing briefly veered off script when US President Donald Trump appeared to flip someone off during a visit to a Ford plant in Michigan, who called him “pedophile protector” — an exchange caught on video.
The incident occurred on Tuesday at Ford Motor Company’s River Rouge complex in Dearborn, where Trump was touring the facility that produces the F-150 pickup truck. In a video first published by TMZ, a worker on the factory floor can be heard shouting “pedophile protector” as the president walked past.
Video shows Trump turning toward the direction of the voice, appearing to mouth an expletive before making a hand gesture that many viewers interpreted as raising his middle finger. The person who shouted is not visible in the clip, and some of the audio is indistinct.
The remark appeared to reference Donald Trump’s past association with Jeffrey Epstein, whose case has again drawn scrutiny amid criticism over the slow release of related federal records. Lawmakers also alleged that Trump escalated attacks on Venezuela in an effort to divert attention from his alleged involvement in the matter.
WHITE HOUSE SAYS IT’S ‘APPROPRIATE’
The White House defended the US President’s reaction. Steven Cheung, assistant to the president and White House director of communications, said the exchange was provoked.
“A lunatic was wildly screaming expletives in a complete fit of rage, and the President gave an appropriate and unambiguous response,” Cheung said in a statement.
The video, roughly 30 seconds long, shows Trump pointing toward the factory floor several times as he continues walking through the plant before making the gesture and moving on.
It was not the first time Trump has been caught on camera reacting bluntly to a heckler. Trump has used the f-word on several occasions on camera.
Last year, when he vented frustration in June about Israel and Iran continuing their fighting despite a ceasefire. “I’m not happy with them. I’m not happy with Iran, either, but I’m really unhappy with Israel going out this morning,” Trump said then. “We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don’t know what the f*** they’re doing.”
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