The woman who posted a photo of herself giving the middle finger to President Donald Trump’s motorcade to social media has been fired from her job, The Huffington Post reports. As Trump returned from the Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Va., Sunday, Oct. 29, a woman later self-identified as Julie Briskman, made the rude gesture to the president’s motorcade twice as she was cycling on the same road.
According to the pool reporter on duty that day, “POTUS’s motorcade departed the Trump National Golf Club at 3.12pm, passing two pedestrians, one of whom gave a thumbs-down sign. Then it overtook a female cyclist, wearing a white top and cycling helmet, who responded by giving the middle finger.”
“The motorcade had to slow and the cyclist caught up, still offering the finger, before turning off in a different direction. Motorcade is now gathering speed and heading for DC.”
At the time, Briskman was working for Akima LLC, a Virginia-based company that holds several government contracts, doing marketing and communications work. As the photo went viral with users calling her a “heroine,” Briskman’s bosses called her into a meeting Tuesday and gave her the bad news.
“They said, ‘We’re separating from you,'” Briskman told The Huffington Post in an interview, describing the firing. “Basically, you cannot have ‘lewd’ or ‘obscene’ things in your social media. So they were calling flipping him off ‘obscene.'”
As a government contractor, Akima LLC was concerned that the photo might hurt their ability to win government contracts, The Huffington Post reports. Briskman has no regrets about her gesture, and is even a little pleased she had the chance to make a statement.
“In some ways, I’m doing better than ever,” Briskman said. “I’m angry about where our country is right now. I am appalled. This was an opportunity for me to say something.”
“He was passing by and my blood just started to boil,” Briskman said. “I’m thinking, DACA recipients are getting kicked out. He pulled ads for open enrollment in Obamacare. Only one-third of Puerto Rico has power. I’m thinking, he’s at the damn golf course again.”
