Overview
- President Donald Trump toured Ford’s F-150 plant in Dearborn and addressed the Detroit Economic Club to showcase his economic agenda focused on U.S. manufacturing and household costs.
- Video first published by TMZ showed Trump appearing to mouth an expletive and raise his middle finger toward a heckler who shouted “pedophile protector,” and the White House defended his reaction.
- A union representative said the Ford worker seen heckling the president was suspended pending review, and Michigan lawmakers sought details from the company about any disciplinary action.
- Trump credited broad tariffs with driving new factory activity, but federal data show U.S. manufacturing jobs fell by about 8,000 in December and analysts report little evidence of a construction boom.
- The trip unfolded as the administration’s rollback of EV rules reshapes automaker plans, including Ford’s scrapped electric F-150, and as a DOJ subpoena of Fed Chair Jerome Powell complicates the White House’s economic messaging.