California Governor Gavin Newsom has publicly ridiculed President Donald Trump after a video emerged appearing to show the President mouthing an expletive and making a crude hand gesture towards a heckling autoworker.
Confrontation on the Factory Floor
The incident occurred on Tuesday during President Trump's tour of a Ford manufacturing facility in Dearborn, Michigan. An employee, identified by The Washington Post as TJ Sabula, a 40-year-old line worker and member of the United Auto Workers Local 600, shouted at the President, calling him a "pedophile protector." This remark was a direct reference to the ongoing controversy surrounding the Department of Justice's botched release of documents related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
In footage obtained by TMZ, President Trump is seen pointing at Sabula, seemingly mouthing the words "f*** you," before walking away while waving and smiling. The exchange was brief but instantly viral.
Political Reactions and Fallout
Seizing on the moment, Governor Newsom took to his official account on X, formerly Twitter, to mock the President. "Struck a nerve?" he quipped. Using a separate press office account dedicated to trolling Trump, Newsom added, "Why is the President attacking a fellow American?"
The Democratic Party's official X account also weighed in, jokingly labelling the heckler: "Employee of the month tbh."
The consequences for Sabula were swift. He confirmed to The Post that he has been suspended from his job at Ford pending an investigation. Despite this, he stated, "As far as calling him out, definitely no regrets whatsoever." Sabula believes he is being targeted for "political retribution" for embarrassing the President.
The White House offered a starkly different perspective. Steven Cheung, the Director of Communications, told The Independent: "A lunatic was wildly screaming expletives in a complete fit of rage, and the President gave an appropriate and unambiguous response."
The Epstein Files Backdrop
The heckler's accusation stems from the delayed public disclosure of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, who died by suicide in jail in August 2019. Despite the Epstein Files Transparency Act passing Congress in November, which mandated the DOJ release its complete holdings by December 19, the department has so far published only around 1 percent of its investigative materials.
In a January 5 update to a federal judge, U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton stated that more than 400 DOJ attorneys and 100 FBI analysts are dedicating "all or a substantial portion of their workday" to reviewing over 2 million remaining documents. The DOJ says redactions are necessary to protect victims, national security, and ongoing investigations.
While Trump has not been accused of any criminal wrongdoing in the Epstein case, his past association with the financier and the slow pace of the files' release has caused tension among his political supporters and drawn persistent criticism from opponents.
