‘TJ, we got your back’: Ford worker who called Trump a ‘pedophile protector’ and got flipped off still has his job

TJ Sabula, the Ford worker who heckled President Trump during his January factory visit in Michigan, is still employed and hasn’t faced any discipline from his union. The United Auto Workers (UAW) has made it clear that they are supporting Sabula.

According to The Independent, UAW Vice President Laura Dickerson addressed the situation during a political conference in Washington, D.C., confirming the union’s stance. “TJ, we got your back,” she stated. UAW President Shawn Fain also publicly praised the 40-year-old line worker. 

“That’s a union brother who spoke up,” Fain said. “He put his constitutional rights to work. He put his union rights to work.” The exchange happened on January 13 during a visit to a Ford truck factory in Dearborn. Sabula directly challenged President Trump, calling him a “pedophile protector.” This accusation was a reference to the administration’s handling and withholding of the full Jeffrey Epstein files.

Union protection proves essential when workers exercise their rights

The president’s reaction was immediate. He mouthed an expletive and raised his middle finger toward Sabula. He then told the heckler, “You’re fired.” Sabula, a member of UAW Local 600, told reporters that he is a political independent and has even supported Republicans in the past. 

He was worried he would be “targeted for political retribution” for “embarrassing Trump in front of his friends,” but felt the moment was too important to pass up. “I don’t feel as though fate looks upon you often, and when it does, you better be ready to seize the opportunity,” Sabula explained. “And today I think I did that.”

The Trump administration has still not released the full Epstein files, blowing past a statutory deadline established in 2025 legislation. Administration lawyers claim they are still reviewing the materials to protect victim confidentiality. Meanwhile, Ghislaine Maxwell has offered to reveal everything she knows about Epstein under specific conditions. Just before the Super Bowl, a group of Epstein survivors united for an ad calling on Attorney General Pam Bondi to release the remaining records.

Sabula was suspended after the interaction with the president. However, the public reaction was overwhelmingly supportive. Crowd-funding pages quickly raised more than $800,000 for Sabula. As the political climate heats up, Trump has also been urging Republicans to take control of voting processes ahead of upcoming elections. 

The White House defended the president’s response. White House director of communications Steven Cheung said “A lunatic was wildly screaming expletives in a complete fit of rage, and the president gave an appropriate and unambiguous response.”