Trump flips off antagonizing worker at Ford plant in Michigan

Daily Update, World

Ford Executive Chairman Bill Ford, speaking with the media at an event afterward, called the incident unfortunate and said he was embarrassed by it.

U.S. President Donald Trump raised his middle finger and appeared to direct profanity towards a factory worker who expressed criticism of his handling of the Jeffrey Epstein controversy at a Michigan auto plant on Tuesday (January 13, 2026), video circulating online showed.

The entertainment site TMZ first published video capturing the exchange, and the White House did not dispute its authentication.

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 told Reuters in an email. Mr. Trump was touring the Ford F-150 assembly facility in Dearborn when ⁠a worker on the plant floor shouted what sounded like “pedophile protector” as the president stood on an elevated walkway, the video showed. Mr.Trump turned toward the individual and appeared to respond with an expletive before making a hand gesture with his middle finger as he walked off.

Other Ford employees cheered and greeted the president as he toured the assembly line, taking photos with workers and shaking hands.

Ford Executive Chairman Bill Ford, speaking with the media at an event afterward, called the incident unfortunate and said he was embarrassed by it.

“That was six seconds out of an hour tour. And the tour went great,

” he said. “I think he really enjoyed it and we did too.” Mr. Trump has occasionally used profanity in public settings, often in response to criticism, confrontation or to accentuate his point. Trump has faced persistent scrutiny for his handling of sensitive federal records tied to Epstein, a convicted sex offender who died by suicide in jail in 2019. Many of Mr. Trump’s most loyal supporters believe the government is withholding documents that would reveal the late financier’s ties ⁠to powerful public figures. Mr. Trump has repeatedly denied any knowledge of Epstein’s alleged abuse and sex trafficking of girls and has not been accused of wrongdoing.

Mr. Trump‘s visit to the Michigan facility ⁠was part of an effort to highlight his administration’s support for U.S. manufacturing, a key theme as the 2026 election year unfolds. Michigan is seen as a politically significant state, and domestic jobs and industry have been central to Mr. Trump’s economic messaging.

US President Donald Trump was caught on camera Tuesday responding vulgarly to a heckler during a visit to an auto plant in Michigan, according to a video circulating on social media.

During a tour of the Ford F-150 factory in Detroit, Michigan, Trump is seen on an elevated promenade overlooking the factory floor dressed in a long black overcoat.

After some yelling, Trump appeared to point at the heckler on the factory floor, scowling and saying a few choice words, before raising a middle finger. He appeared to respond by mouthing the F-bomb at the person.

The heckler has not been identified, but White House spokesman Steven Cheung told AFP they got what they deserved.

“A lunatic was wildly shouting expletives in a complete fit of rage, and the President gave an appropriate and unambiguous response,” Cheung said.

The heckler appeared to shout, in part, “pedophile protector,” TMZ reported.

The 79-year-old Republican’s second term has been dogged by demands to release the files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who was once a buddy to Trump and the jet set.

Epstein, a financier, was awaiting trial for allegedly trafficking underage girls when he died in a New York jail cell in 2019 — a death officially ruled a suicide but long the topic of conspiracy theories amplified by Trump’s supporters.

Trump approved bipartisan legislation to release the files, but his Justice Department has failed to meet the December 19 deadline to release them all.

Earlier this month, Justice officials said it was still reviewing more than two million documents for release.

President Donald Trump appeared to lash out at a worker who shouted pedophile protector during his visit to Ford Motor Company’s River Rouge complex in Dearborn, Michigan, on Tuesday, with video showing him apparently responding with an expletive and the middle finger.

Footage obtained by TMZ captured the moment as Trump toured the plant, pointing towards the person off camera before walking away and raising his middle finger.

A factory tour meant to highlight 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 happened 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 towards 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 amidst 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 provocative.