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Dearborn, Michigan: US 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, video circulating online showed.
The entertainment site TMZ first published video capturing the exchange, and the White House did not dispute its authenticity.
“A lunatic was wildly screaming expletives in a complete fit of rage, and the president gave an appropriate and unambiguous response,” White House spokesman Steven Cheung said.
Trump was touring the Ford F-150 assembly facility in Dearborn when a worker on the plant floor shouted what sounded like “paedophile protector” as the president stood on an elevated walkway, the video showed. 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 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 emphasise his point.
Donald Trump tours the Ford factory in Detroit with chairman Bill Ford (right) and plant manager Corey Williams (left).Credit: AP
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.
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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.