WASHINGTON, D.C. – The White House moved swiftly today to clarify what it called a “widely misunderstood moment of executive encouragement,” after footage appeared to show President Trump extending his middle finger toward a Ford factory employee during his visit to Detroit yesterday.
According to press aides, the gesture was not obscene but rather “a thumbs up, but performed at an advanced, presidential angle that ordinary Americans may not yet be trained to recognize.”
Press Secretary officials explained that the president, known for his “innovative body language,” was merely signaling approval for American manufacturing.
“The thumb was technically present,” one aide said while pointing at a laminated diagram of a hand. “It was just… folded under the other fingers. That’s leadership. That’s confidence. That’s what happens when you think outside the hand.”
Sources inside the administration emphasized that President Trump has long been a “gesture disruptor,” previously redefining nodding, pointing, and prolonged staring as official diplomatic tools.
“When the president uses a finger, it’s never an insult,” said a senior advisor. “It’s a negotiation. Sometimes it’s a deal. Sometimes it’s a thumbs up that hasn’t been fully unlocked yet.”
Meanwhile, the Ford employee at the center of the incident said he initially felt confused but is now “honored” to have received what the White House insists was a rare, customized sign of presidential respect.
“I’ve never been thumbs-upped so aggressively,” the worker said. “But if that’s encouragement, I guess my job is safe. Or I’ve been sanctioned. Hard to tell.”
*Image: Facebook.com/Punch Newspapers