WASHINGTON (Newsweek) - President Donald Trump’s was interrupted by chants of “pedophile protector” from a protester during his speech in Michigan on Monday.
Videos shared on social media show Trump speaking in Milford while the protester or protesters repeatedly shouted the phrase during his remarks, briefly disrupting the event before the president continued speaking.
The chants come as pressure has mounted from critics and some lawmakers for the release of additional documents related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The president was interrupted a few times within the first 10 minutes of his speech. Trump spoke about the auto industry, praising workers at General Motors saying: “there’s no finer group of people.”
The president said in part: “We’re building more auto factories and more plants than in any time in the history of our country.”
Trump ripped into former president Joe Biden during his remarks, as well as United Auto Workers (UAW) president Shawn Fain, calling him “bad news.”
“I’ve done more for you than your parents,” Trump said to the auto industry crowd, noting: “They would agree.”
The protester’s remarks seemingly reflect the political controversy surrounding the administration’s handling of records related to Epstein, the well-connected financier who died by suicide in jail in 2019 while awaiting further charges.
The disruption also followed an earlier confrontation this year during Trump’s visit to Ford’s Rouge Complex in Dearborn, Michigan, where a worker reportedly shouted the same accusation as the president toured the facility.