The Ford factory worker who called President Trump a “pedophile protector” during a Tuesday visit to a Michigan plant is speaking out. TJ Sabula, 40, says he has “no regrets” about confronting the president, even after Trump responded with an obscene gesture.
Sabula told The Washington Post he is the worker at the center of the scene. He said he has been suspended from his job while the factory investigates what happened.
“As far as calling him out, definitely no regrets whatsoever,” Sabula said.
Still, Sabula admitted he worries about his future at Ford. He told the Post he feels like he may be facing political payback for what he did. “I think I got singled out for embarrassing Trump in front of his friends,” he said.
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“Fate doesn’t hand you chances like this often. When it does, you have to grab it. I did that today,” Sabula added.
The encounter happened as Trump toured the Ford F-150 plant in Dearborn. In footage from the event, Trump points at a worker, mouths “f— you” twice, and then flips the middle finger before moving on.
Shortly before the gesture, a voice off-camera shouted, “pedophile protector”. Sabula explained that the comment referred to the president’s handling of the Epstein case.
The White House defended Trump’s reaction. “A lunatic was wildly screaming expletives in a complete fit of rage, and the President gave an appropriate and unambiguous response,” said communications director Steven Cheung.
Sabula describes himself as politically independent. He said he has never voted for Trump, though he has supported other Republicans in the past.
The United Auto Workers Union confirmed Sabula’s suspension. Ford also commented, saying it does not condone disrespectful behavior in the workplace.
“We had a great event yesterday and we’re proud of how our employees represented Ford. We’ve seen the clip you’re referring to. 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,” the company said.
Featured image via YouTube screengrab
