Donald Trump was seen allegedly gesturing offensively towards a Ford plant employee during a confrontation on Tuesday, where he was accused of being a ‘pedophile protector’.
This event took place during Trump’s scheduled visit to a Ford plant in Michigan. An upset worker began shouting offensive and expletive-filled remarks at the President.
In video footage of the incident, Trump is shown pointing at the worker and seemingly mouthing ‘f**k you’ while making a rude gesture.
Although such behavior might be considered unbecoming of a world leader, the White House justified the President’s reaction as ‘appropriate’ given the circumstances.
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung stated, “A lunatic was wildly screaming expletives in a complete fit of rage, and the President gave an appropriate and unambiguous response.”
TMZ acquired a 30-second video showing someone apparently shouting towards the president, though the exact words remain unclear.
According to the publication, the individual may have been calling Trump a ‘pedophile protector’, in a likely reference to delays in the release of the complete Jeffrey Epstein files.
Amazing, a Ford worker called Trump a “pedophile protector” during his visit to an assembly plant in Michigan today.
In return, Trump, who has failed to release the Epstein files, flipped off the worker. pic.twitter.com/fA5PADGIWL
— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) January 13, 2026
The footage captures Trump pointing towards the factory floor several times as he continues his tour of the facility.
Before exiting the frame, he appears to give the middle finger to the individual who was yelling, seemingly saying or mouthing ‘f**k you’ twice.
Following the incident, Ford’s Executive Director of Corporate Communications, David Tovar, addressed the situation, telling CNN: “We had a great event today and we’re proud of how our employees represented Ford.”
“We’ve seen the clip you’re referring to. One of our core values is respect and we don’t condone anyone saying anything inappropriate like that within our facilities. When that happens, we have a process to deal with it but we don’t get into specific personnel matters.”
After Trump’s controversial response, numerous people shared their opinions on social media, criticizing the President for his actions.
“Very presidential,” one individual commented. Another suggested that the accusation is a sensitive topic for Trump, saying, “It really bothers him because it’s true.”
“Classy as always,” another person remarked, while a fourth pointed out the irony of Trump using an expletive himself after criticizing Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey for similar language, when he told ICE to ‘get the f**k out of’ the city.