President Donald Trump could be seen on video flipping the bird and saying the phrase “f*ck you” in the direction of a heckler during his Tuesday visit to the Ford F-150 plant in Dearborn, Michigan.
The president, in town for a speech at the Detroit Economic Club, toured the F-150 plant as well — and responded in the moment as someone in the crowd shouted at him, apparently accusing the president of “protecting” the late convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Entertainment site TMZ first reported the news, sharing video of the brief exchange that quickly made its way across social media.
WATCH:
#EXCLUSIVE 😳 President Trump was filmed flipping off a Ford worker who yelled “pedophile protector” at him. https://t.co/m5nLYtWxxT pic.twitter.com/512zEYV6WC
— TMZ (@TMZ) January 13, 2026
“It’s hard to make out the full sentence shouted at Trump, but it seems to have included the words ‘pedophile protector,'” the outlet reported. Trump could be seen turning to look at the person who had shouted at him before apparently saying, “f*ck you,” and flipping him a middle finger for good measure.
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung addressed the video as it circulated, explaining, “A lunatic was wildly screaming expletives in a complete fit of rage, and the President gave an appropriate and unambiguous response.”
Throughout most of the president’s tour, the plant workers crowded around him as they shook his hand and posed for photos.
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 13, 2026
While he was at the Detroit automotive plant, Trump also sat for an interview with new “CBS Evening News” anchor Tony Dokoupil.
In that interview, among a number of other topics, Trump talked about what was going on in the auto industry – particularly since he’d put a stop to imminent electric vehicle mandates set in motion by former President Joe Biden’s administration.
WATCH:
.@POTUS: “I want electric, and I want gasoline, and I want hybrids — I want everything. But you were going to be forced, under the mandate, to buy an electric car in a very short period of time. I didn’t want that, and I ended that.” pic.twitter.com/jTU4v6bMev
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) January 13, 2026
“I want electric, and I want gasoline, and I want hybrids — I want everything. But you were going to be forced, under the mandate, to buy an electric car in a very short period of time. I didn’t want that, and I ended that,” Trump explained.