A White House spokesman said the president "gave an appropriate and unambiguous response" to a "lunatic" [View all]

Trump Makes Obscene Gesture at Heckler in Ford Factory Tour
A White House spokesman said the president “gave an appropriate and unambiguous response.”

President Trump raised his middle finger at a heckler who accused him of being a “pedophile protector” while touring a Ford factory in Dearborn, Mich., on Tuesday afternoon.

It was a fleeting interaction that happened while the president was out of sight of the small group of reporters that travels by his side as part of the press pool. Footage of the moment, which looked like it was filmed on a cellphone, appeared on the celebrity gossip website TMZ shortly after Mr. Trump had left the factory.

The White House’s communications director, Steven Cheung, said in a statement that a “lunatic was wildly screaming expletives in a complete fit of rage, and the president gave an appropriate and unambiguous response.”

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But as Mr. Trump walked along an upper floor of the factory, one of the men below began to shout that the president was “a pedophile protector.” Mr. Trump looked over in the direction of the shouting and twice mouthed a two-word response. It was difficult to make out what he said in the clip published by TMZ, though it sure looked like something beginning with the letter “F” and it wasn’t “Ford.”

What was a little easier to decipher was what came next. Mr. Trump turned away from the heckler below and took a few more steps, but then seemed to decide he was not done. He looked back, quickly raised his arm and flipped the bird.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/13/us/politics/trump-heckler-middle-finger.html