White House Responds to Video of Donald Trump 'Flipping Off' Worker
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung sent a statement to Newsweek after a video of President Donald Trump circulated online Tuesday appearing to show the president respond to a heckler with a hand gesture many interpreted as flipping someone off.
In the statement, Cheung said: "A lunatic was wildly screaming expletives in a complete fit of rage, and the President gave an appropriate and unambiguous response."
Essential Reading: Conventional Wisdom—Fed Criminal Investigation Edition
Why It Matters
The incident, which took place amid continual scrutiny over the release of government files related to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, underscores the ongoing tensions surrounding transparency and accountability.
The issue gained traction as the Department of Justice (DOJ) failed to meet the December 19 legal deadline imposed under the Epstein Files Transparency Act to release all unclassified files tied to the sex offender, leaving many Americans questioning both transparency and decorum at the nation's highest office.
What To Know
Trump on Tuesday toured the Ford F-150 manufacturing plant in Detroit. In a video first published by TMZ, a factory worker could be heard shouting "pedophile protector," a remark apparently referencing Trump's previous association with Epstein.
The video, which spread rapidly across social media platforms, captured Trump turning toward the heckler and appearing to utter an expletive before making a hand gesture widely interpreted online as "flipping off" the worker.
On Monday, the DOJ reported in a court filing that since December 19, it had released 12,285 documents but added that "more than 2 million documents" remain in various phases of review. Department officials said that, even with substantial resources committed, less than 1 percent of documents had been released. They also estimated that under the department's current pace, it could take eight years or more to release all of them.
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What People Are Saying
Republican Congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky, on X last week: "By missing deadlines, making excessive redactions, and withholding documents, @TheJusticeDept is defying the Epstein Files Transparency Act. On @TheLeadCNN, I discussed the need for a court-appointed special master to ensure the DOJ follows the law Trump signed."
DNC Senior Advisor for Messaging, Mobilization and Strategy Tim Hogan, in a released statement sent to Newsweek on Tuesday: "Donald Trump is more concerned with his ego than his spiraling economy, where job cuts are skyrocketing, hiring has slowed, unemployment remains high, and prices continue to soar. As working families struggle to make ends meet in Trump's economy, the Trump family and their wealthy donors keep getting richer — there's no bigger 'F-you' than that. The real question is: Why does the mere mention of Epstein set him off?"
Columbia University professor Robert Y. Shapiro, to Newsweek via email on Tuesday: "This is obviously not presidential behavior but it is consistent with his past behavior where he has lost any sense of presidential decorum -- or decency. He has gotten away with such behavior and foul language, but if he consistently exhibits a lot more of this, even his supporters may possibly start to wonder what is happening with him."
D. Stephen Voss, political science professor at the University of Kentucky, to Newsweek via email on Tuesday: "Donald Trump's lack of decorum is only one example of how he ignores the unwritten rules that guided presidential behavior in the past. In general, Trump keeps pushing the boundaries, testing to see whether he can violate norms that once characterized the American political system. Voters mostly seem to have tolerated Trump's conduct so far, but that does not mean they like it. Best guess is that voters have supported Trump despite, not because of, his unpresidential behavior, and they'll turn on him if they're unhappy about the economy or foreign affairs. In the past, presidents were punished for breaking away from what voters expected from their chief executive."
Todd Blanche, deputy attorney general, in a post last month on X: "Update on our Epstein files review: DOJ lawyers from Main Justice, FBI, SDFL, and SDNY are working around the clock through the holidays, including Christmas and New Years, to review documents in compliance with federal law. It truly is an all-hands-on-deck approach and we're asking as many lawyers as possible to commit their time to review the documents that remain. Required redactions to protect victims take time but they will not stop these materials from being released. The Attorney General's and this Administration's goal is simple: transparency and protecting victims."
What Happens Next
The DOJ's disclosure suggests that controversy over the release of Epstein-related files is likely to persist.
Update 1/13/26, 10:05 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with comment from Voss.
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President Trump gave the finger and said "fuck you" to a citizen. Why? The citizen was mean to Trump.
According to Trump everywhere he goes the people love him.
If you don’t want to be called a pedophile protector, then don’t protect pedophiles. Easy peasy.
I'm not above flipping the bird at people but I'm not the POTUS. I don't hold any political office at all. I'm a simple citizen and can act like a 5 year old if I want to