Gavin Newsom Trolls Trump After The Don Appeared to Give the Middle Finger to Ford Plant Employee Who Shouted Nasty Slur
Gavin Newsom trolled Donald Trump following his meltdown over being heckled by a Michigan autoworker.
Jan. 14 2026, Published 4:35 p.m. ET
Gavin Newsom has never wasted an opportunity to troll Donald Trump – and he isn't stopping now.
The California governor mocked the president after footage of Trump yelling "f--- you" and flipping off an autoworker who called him a "pedophile protector" went viral, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Trump, 79, was heckled by the autoworker, who has been identified as T.J. Sabula, during a visit to a Ford plant in Michigan on Tuesday, January 13.
Newsom Trolls Trump... Again
Newsom mocked Trump losing his cool over being heckled by an autoworker.
"Struck a nerve?" Newsom wrote in a post from his official X account in response to the shocking footage.
Newsom continued to troll Trump on another official X account.
"Why is the President attacking a fellow American?" the Governor Newsom Press Office account wrote in a separate post.
Trump Flips Off Michigan Auto Worker
Trump appeared to shout expletives at the worker before he flipped him off.
In the video, Trump can be seen waving down to workers from an elevated walkway at the factory. From the crowd, a voice could be heard shouting at him, "Pedophile protector!"
While Trump's verbal response was not picked up on the video, he appeared to mouth "f--- you" twice while pointing his finger in the direction of the worker – and then flipped the bird as he walked away in a huff.
The comment obviously triggered the president, who has been haunted by his former close friendship with the late convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein as the public continues to demand the release of the Epstein files.
Despite Congress passing a law to release the materials, the Department of Justice has released only a small fraction of the files while continuing to miss deadlines for the remaining documents.
The White House since called the autoworker a 'lunatic.'
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung claimed the worker was a "lunatic" who "was wildly screaming expletives in a complete fit of rage."
The employee, who is a member of the United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, has been suspended following the exchange with Trump.
While Cheung defended Trump's actions and said he "gave an appropriate and unambiguous response," the president has faced backlash for acting unprofessional.
The UAW issued support for the autoworker, who has been suspended over the exchange.
"He's actively provoking WWIII and a civil war because he's protecting himself and other pedophiles," one reply to Newsom's post read.
"This is how a president behaves, flipping off an auto worker while dodging accountability for his Epstein ties. Very stable genius," mocked another X user.
"Never denies it. Just gets angry," a second user wrote as a third encouraged more public taunts, "Every time he's in the public, y'all should let him know!"
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Meanwhile, the UAW has come out in support of the worker despite his suspension.
"The autoworker at the Dearborn Truck Plant is a proud member of a strong and fighting union—the UAW," said UAW Vice President Laura Dickerson, who oversees the union’s Ford Department, reportedly said in a statement.
"He believes in freedom of speech, a principle we wholeheartedly embrace, and we stand with our membership in protecting their voice on the job," Dickerson added.
