Watch | Donald Trump flips middle finger, hurls expletives as heckler calls him 'pedophile protector'

US President Donald Trump appeared to flip a person calling him "pedophile protector" during a visit to the Ford plant in Michigan on Tuesday.

In a video that was published by TMZ, a worker at the Ford Motor Company’s River Rouge complex that produces the F-150 pickup truck is heard shouting "pedophile protector" as the president walked past.

An agitated Trump is seen turn in the direction of the voice, appearing to mouth an expletive before flipping his middle finger.

The person who screamed at the president is not visible in the video and has remained unidentified. Some of the audio is also indistinct.

The video also shows Trump pointing toward the floor several times as he continues walking through the plant before making the gesture and moving on.

The remark could be a reference to Trump's association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The case has drawn criticism and scrutiny over the slow release of federal records.

A few also allege that Trump escalated his offensive on Venezuela to divert attention from his alleged involvement in the matter.

White House defends Trump

Meanwhile, the White House defended the obscene actions of the president.

Steven Cheung, assistant to the president and White House director of communications, said Trump was provoked by the factory worker.

"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.

It is not the first time that Trump has reacted bluntly and been caught on camera. He has used the f-word on several occasions before.

Last year, he expressed his frustration when Israel and Iran continues to attack each other despite a ceasefire in June.

"We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don’t know what the f*** they’re doing," Trump had said at the time.