Overview
- Video of the exchange, first posted by TMZ and widely shared on TikTok and X, shows Trump mouthing an expletive while raising his middle finger toward the heckler.
- The worker was identified as TJ Sabula, 40, who told The Washington Post he was suspended following the confrontation.
- Ford’s corporate communications chief, David Tovar, said the company promotes respect in its facilities and has internal processes to address inappropriate conduct.
- The incident occurred during Trump’s tour of Ford’s River Rouge/Dearborn complex near Detroit as part of a trip highlighting U.S. manufacturing.
- White House communications director Steven Cheung said the individual was shouting profanities and described the president’s response as appropriate and unequivocal.