The Ford factory worker who heckled President Donald Trump near Detroit on Tuesday has been suspended by the automobile company for his behavior, but he says he has “no regrets.”
The worker, identified as 40-year-old TJ Sabula, called Trump a “pedophile protector” while the president was touring the Ford River Rouge complex in Dearborn, Michigan. The name-calling was a reference to Trump’s past ties to the late sex trafficker, Jeffrey Epstein.
In response, Trump flipped off the worker and mouthed what appeared to be “f*** you” twice. The interaction was recorded in a video released by TMZ. The White House confirmed what Trump said.
Afterward, Sabula said he was suspended from his job pending an internal investigation. Despite facing disciplinary action, he was unremorseful.
“As far as calling him out, definitely no regrets whatsoever,” Sabula told the Washington Post, saying he was “targeted for political retribution” after “embarrassing Trump in front of his friends.”
Sabula confirmed he was referencing Trump’s handling of the Epstein files during his second term. He said he was about 60 feet away from the president, adding that he could hear the heckling “very, very, very clearly.”
“I don’t feel as though fate looks upon you often, and when it does, you better be ready to seize the opportunity,” the suspended employee said. “And today I think I did that.”
In the hours since the incident, two GoFundMe fundraisers have been set up on behalf of Sabula. One has raised over $160,000 so far, while the other has received more than $30,000 as of Wednesday morning. Both organizers of the GoFundMe pages said the funds will go directly to Sabula.
Sabula is a member of the United Auto Workers Local 600 association. In a statement, Ford said it was aware of the incident.
“We had a great event today and we’re proud of how our employees represented Ford. We’ve seen the clip you’re referring to,” Ford spokesman David Tovar told CBS News. “One of our core values is respect and we don’t condone anyone saying anything inappropriate like that within our facilities. When that happens, we have a process to deal with it but we don’t get into specific personnel matters.”
TRUMP FLIPS OFF FORD FACTORY WORKER WHO YELLED ‘PEDOPHILE PROTECTOR’
Trump’s visit to Michigan was part of his affordability tour in which he touts his economic agenda ahead of the 2026 elections. He also toured the Ford factory to highlight domestic manufacturing.
The trip was Trump’s first visit to the Detroit area since last April, when he celebrated his first 100 days in office. The president’s one-year mark for his second term arrives in six days.