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The Trump administration’s lack of transparency when it comes to releasing investigation files related to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has left many Americans disappointed.
On Tuesday, one such person, an autoworker at a Ford plant in Michigan, expressed those sentiments to President Donald Trump.
But Trump’s response was not very presidential.
- Trump reacted to a Michigan autoworker calling him a 'pedophile protector' by flipping off the man and mouthing 'f*** you.'
- The White House defended Trump's middle finger gesture as an 'appropriate and unambiguous response' to the worker's outburst.
- The autoworker has been suspended by Ford while an investigation is underway.
- Trump resisted releasing Epstein investigation files despite campaign promises, sparking outrage among supporters and critics.
An autoworker called Trump a ‘pedophile protector,’ and Trump responded strongly
Image credits: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
In a video obtained by TMZ, the person was heard calling Trump a “pedophile protector” during his visit to Michigan. Trump appears to point at the person and say, “f**k you.” He topped the interaction off by pointing his middle finger at the man.
Trump also appeared to mouth “you’re fired” as he walked away, dropping his finger.
The White House defended Trump’s actions, with spokesperson Steven Cheung calling Trump’s response “appropriate.”
LMAO today in Detroit a Ford worker can be heard yelling “pedophile protector” at Trump and you can see Trump pointing and mouthing “F*ck You F*ck You” and then flips him the middle finger pic.twitter.com/0wzy894OTS
— Wu Tang is for the Children (@WUTangKids) January 13, 2026
“A lunatic was wildly screaming expletives in a complete fit of rage, and the President gave an appropriate and unambiguous response,” Cheung said.
His union has since said that the worker has been suspended while Ford looks into the matter, the Michigan Advance reported. A representative from the United Auto Workers union confirmed the suspension, adding that the length of the suspension was unknown.
The worker’s comment comes after months of pushback on the release of the Epstein files by the Trump administration, despite current officials being quoted as saying during Trump’s presidential campaign that they would release them.
Trump had been a close associate and friend of Epstein and has been named in the Epstein files. His pushback on releasing the files had sparked widespread outrage among both critics and his MAGA supporters.
Trump also reportedly told Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, “My friends will get hurt” while explaining his pushback on a congressional effort to release the files.
The files were only released after a bipartisan force passed a bill obligating the Justice Department to release them. However, the files have been heavily redacted.
The DOJ has also failed to meet multiple deadlines, including a mid-December deadline to release all the files with limited redactions.
The autoworker has since been suspended, but netizens celebrated him
Image credits: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
The files included hundreds of photos, some of which were allegedly taken by Epstein himself, and others by the FBI when agents raided the convicted sex offender’s properties.
One image showed an open desk drawer that contained two photos of Trump, one of them showing the incumbent with four women in bikinis. The photo was briefly taken down by the DOJ and reuploaded after receiving criticism.
Trump’s name popped up in the files again, this time in a 2015 email exchange between Epstein and Landon Thomas Jr., then a New York Times reporter. In the email, Epstein recounted a moment when Trump was so focused on young women swimming in his pool that he walked into a glass door.
Image credits: Adam Gray/Getty Images
Critics have also alleged the Trump administration’s arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is a distraction tactic. Trump biographer and author Michael Wolff, whose name also appeared in the Epstein files, told The Daily Beast that Maduro’s capture was a temporary relief from the bipartisan pressure.
Wolff added that the scandal isn’t going anywhere, adding that the DOJ, by its own admission, has released less than 1% of its files on Epstein.
“He has done what he always manages to do, which is to change the subject through a fundamental reordering of the narrative, of the drama that we’re living in,” Wolff said.
He added that only the White House, “which has now distracted everyone from this job,” knows the status of the Epstein files. “The job of releasing the Epstein files has been preempted by the job of running Venezuela,” Wolff added.
Netizens celebrated the autoworker’s insult, calling him “amazing.”
Image credits: bluesky
“That worker is a god damn hero!” one user wrote on BluSky. Another said, “That guy should never have to buy a beer again.”
People called the worker ‘amazing’ and a ‘hero’
Image credits: bluesky
A third noted, “That needs to happen a LOT more. Ordinary people need hold him accountable because sure as hell Congress isn’t.”
One user joked, “This made me laugh… 😆 Hey PEDO! And Trump turns around.”
Image credits: bluesky
Another user shared an image of Trump’s face with a letter he allegedly wrote to Epstein edited on top of it. The letter, released by The Washington Post, was reportedly a birthday letter Trump wrote to Epstein.
Image credits: X
It consisted of a drawing of a pair of arcs depicting a woman’s breasts, signed with a squiggle “Donald” below her waist, mimicking pubic hair.
The letter said, “Happy Birthday—and may every day be another wonderful secret.”
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