Ford Worker Suspended After Calling Trump ‘Pedophile Protector’

A Ford Employee’s Bold Statement During a Presidential Visit

A Ford factory employee and member of UAW Local 600 was suspended on Tuesday after reportedly calling Donald Trump a "pedophile protector" during the president’s visit to the Dearborn Truck Plant. The incident, which occurred on January 13, was captured on video and first reported by TMZ. It took place as Trump toured the F-150 factory alongside Ford executive chairman Bill Ford and CEO Jim Farley.

TJ Sabula, a 40-year-old line worker for UAW Local 600, identified himself as the voice behind the heckling. He estimated that the incident happened around 60 feet away from the president. Cell phone footage of the event shows President Trump seemingly mouthing "f*** you" and then raising his middle finger in response.

White House communications director Steven Cheung confirmed the incident, stating that "a lunatic was wildly screaming expletives in a complete fit of rage, and the president gave an appropriate and unambiguous response." A spokesperson for the United Auto Workers told the Detroit Free Press that the worker was suspended following the incident, although the labor union did not name the individual involved. However, Sabula was willing to identify himself and expressed no regrets about his actions.

"As far as calling him out, definitely no regrets whatsoever," Sabula said. "I don’t feel as though fate looks upon you often, and when it does, you better be ready to seize the opportunity. And today I think I did that."

Sabula attributed his inspiration for confronting the president to the administration’s handling of the Jeffery Epstein case. He believes that his suspension is due to "embarrassing Trump in front of his friends" and that he is being "targeted for political retribution." Notably, Sabula stated that he identifies as politically independent and has a history of supporting Republicans but has never voted for Trump.

Ford executives responded with measured reactions to the incident. Bill Ford told the Detroit Free Press that the event was a very small part of the day. Additionally, Ford spokesman Dave Tovar told the Detroit Free Press that the company was aware of the incident and that they "don’t condone anyone saying anything inappropriate like that within our facilities."

"Discipline is in the hands of the organization. It’s unfortunate and 99 percent of the employees in the plant were great and I was embarrassed because we’re the host," Bill Ford said. "But that was six seconds out of an hour tour and the tour went great. I think he really enjoyed it and we did too. I understand that gets a lot of social media play and that’s the world we live in."

It remains unclear what specific disciplinary action Sabula will face, as spokespeople for Ford and the UAW declined to provide details. Despite concerns about his job security, a GoFundMe campaign has been launched to support Sabula and his family. The campaign has already raised over $162,000 since its launch.

"TJ is a father of two young children, husband, and is a proud United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 600 line worker. Funds donated will support TJ and his family to cover expenses during this time of uncertainty," the description of the GoFundMe reads.

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