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President Donald Trump gave the middle finger to a heckler during a tour at a Ford plant in Michigan on Jan. 13, mouthing “f— you” in a response the White House described as “an appropriate and unambiguous response.”

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

The entertainment site TMZ first published video capturing the exchange, and the White House did not dispute its authenticity to USA TODAY.

“A lunatic was wildly screaming expletives in a complete fit of rage, and the President gave an appropriate and unambiguous response,” Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung said in a statement to USA TODAY.

The Washington Post reported that the autoworker who interacted with Trump was later suspended from his job pending an investigation. He told the newspaper that he was referencing the Jeffrey Epstein probe.

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

Trump has occasionally used profanity in public settings, often in response to criticism, confrontation or to emphasize his point.

He 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 Trump’s most loyal supporters believe the government is withholding documents that would reveal the late financier’s ties to powerful public figures. Trump has repeatedly denied any knowledge of Epstein’s alleged abuse and sex trafficking of girls and has not been accused of wrongdoing.

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 important state, and domestic jobs and industry have been central to Trump’s economic messaging.

CNN quoted Ford’s Executive Director of Corporate Communications David Tovar as saying, “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.”

Tovar said the presidential visit to the plant went generally very well. “We had a great event today and we’re proud of how our employees represented Ford,” Tovar said.

Contributing: Michelle Deal-Zimmerman, USA TODAY; Reuters