MS NOW’s Jen Psaki Blasts Trump for Flipping Off ‘Pedophile Protector’ Heckler: ‘Middle Finger to Everyone’ Speaking Out

MS NOW host and former Biden White House press secretary Jen Psaki ripped President Donald Trump for flipping off a heckler who called him a “pedophile protector,” arguing it was a “middle finger to everyone” who speaks out against him.

The salute came as the president toured a Ford plant before giving a speech to the Detroit Economic Club on Tuesday. The man, 40-year-old TJ Sabula, was suspended from his job following the incident.

On Tuesday’s edition of MS NOW’s The Briefing with Jen Psaki, the host connected that gesture to the Americans on all sides who have spoken out against Trump over issues like the Epstein files and the killing of Renee Good:

PSAKI: He [Trump] loves to be adored. And they make it that way so that the people around him adore him.

But for one brief moment during that tour of that Ford plant today, that bubble was pierced when a heckler shouted at Trump and seemed to call him a, quote, “pedophile protector”. Now Trump pointed right at him, mouthed “F you”, and then appeared to give him the middle finger. You just saw him do it right there.

And the White House seemed to confirm as much in a statement to several news outlets late today, calling it, quote, “an appropriate and unambiguous response.” I have given a lot of statements from White Houses. I’m trying to imagine well any president I ever worked for doing that and defending it if so. But here we are in 2026.

Now, I raise this because it is absurd and ludicrous and crazy that the president did that, but also because the whole episode just kind of perfectly sums up his posture toward the country he is supposed to be running right now. I mean, it kind of feels like that middle finger was directed at all of us, at every person in this country who still believes in common decency right now. Doesn’t — not even in a political way, just common decency. A middle finger to everyone criticizing, say, the cover up of the Epstein files. To everyone criticizing the decision to take control of Venezuela, to everyone whose health care costs are skyrocketing right now, to everyone speaking out about a bogus investigation into the chair of the Federal Reserve.

And yes, a middle finger to every person in this country speaking up on behalf of Renee Nicole Good and speaking out against the ICE agent who killed her. It’s now been six days since that deadly shooting. And after a weekend of national protests and national outrage all across the country, you can see a number of them on the screen there. After NBA players held a moment of silence for Renee Nicole Good.

After Hollywood stars paid tributes to her at the Golden Globes, after people from Minneapolis to Berlin held vigils and lit candles to honor her memory — after all that, Donald Trump is still tripling down. Attacking the woman who was shot three times and killed while defending the man who shot her.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: You believe that deadly force was necessary after watching all the footage a few days have passed. What’s your assessment there?

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It was highly disrespectful of law enforcement. The woman and her friend were highly disrespectful of law enforcement.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PSAKI: Okay. So, in Donald Trump’s version of the world, the woman whose last words were telling an ICE officer, “I’m not mad at you,” was highly disrespectful. That’s how he sees it.

And more importantly, in Trump’s version of the world, being disrespectful to an ICE officer is apparently enough to justify shooting a woman in the head.

And this disturbing and immoral take on the killing of Renee Good is — what is basically being echoed throughout the entire administration.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GREG BOVINO, BORDER PATROL COMMANDER: Hats off to that ICE agent.

KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: This deranged lunatic woman was trying to ram him over with her vehicle.

KRISTI NOEM, DHS SECRETARY: If you look at what the definition of domestic terrorism is, it completely fits the situation on the ground.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Watch above via MS NOW’s The Briefing with Jen Psaki.