“A lunatic was wildly screaming expletives in a complete fit of rage, and the President gave an appropriate and unambiguous response,” Cheung said in a statement to the Washington Post.
The incident was not the first of its kind in modern memory.
In 1976, Vice-President Nelson Rockefeller (Republican) was photographed raising his middle finger towards university students in upstate New York.
TJ Sabula, a 40-year-old United Auto Workers Local 600 line worker at the factory, told the Post that he was the one who shouted at Trump. He said he has been suspended from work pending an investigation.
“As far as calling him out, definitely no regrets whatsoever,” Sabula said, though he added that he is concerned about the future of his job and believes he has been “targeted for political retribution” for “embarrassing Trump in front of his friends”.
Sabula identifies as politically independent and said he never voted for Trump but has supported other Republicans.
He estimated that he was roughly 18m away from Trump yesterday and that the President could hear him “very, very, very clearly”.
He said he was specifically referencing Trump’s handling of the Epstein matter.
“I don’t feel as though fate looks upon you often, and when it does, you better be ready to seize the opportunity,” Sabula said. “And today I think I did that.”
An online fundraiser was started yesterday that sought to raise money for Sabula after his suspension.
“Let’s rally and support TJ and help him pay some bills,” read the description of the fundraiser, which has so far collected more than 14,700 donations totalling more than US$325,000 ($565,600).
Laura Dickerson, a vice-president at the United Auto Workers and the head of the union’s Ford Department, said in a statement that the union “will ensure that our member receives the full protection of all negotiated contract language safeguarding his job and his rights as a union member”.
Dickerson added: “Workers should never be subjected to vulgar language or behaviour by anyone – including the President of the United States”.
Trump toured the factory before giving a speech at the Detroit Economic Club. Elsewhere on the tour, Ford workers could be seen cheering and taking selfies with the President.
Officials at Ford did not respond to a request for comment. Trump was joined during the tour by Bill Ford, Ford’s executive chairman and the grandson of Henry Ford, and Jim Farley, the company’s president and chief executive.
Trump has faced criticism from Democrats – and in some cases from within his Maga movement – for dismissing the federal investigation into Epstein. The President has also repeatedly referred to that investigation as a “hoax”.
Trump was friends with Epstein and travelled in the same social circles before cutting ties in the early 2000s.
He initially opposed legislation requiring the Justice Department to release its files on Epstein.
After it became clear last year that Republicans did not have the votes to block the effort, Trump said he would no longer oppose releasing the files.
Trump has not been accused of participating in Epstein’s criminal conduct.
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