A 40-year-old Ford worker suspended after confronting Pres. Donald Trump during a tour of his plant has been the beneficiary of two GoFundMe campaigns that, as of Thursday morning had raised over $800,000. One, named TJ Sabula is a patriot has raised almost $500,000, while the other, Support Ford Worker TJ Sabula during suspension, has raised over $330,000.
TJ Sabula, a father of two young children, made headlines after calling Trump a “pedophile protecter” while he walked through the Ford River Rouge facility that produces the automaker’s F-150 pickups. The president responded with a pair of vulgarities while “flipping the bird” at Sabula.
The case has been handed off to Ford’s Human Resources department, company Chairman Bill Ford told Autoblog, which suspended Sabula for violating the company’s code of conduct which emphasizes respect. But the United Auto Workers Union, which represents the plant, has stepped in to “ensure that our member receives the full protection of all negotiated contract language safeguarding his job and his rights as a union member.” In turn, the UAW statement called out the “vulgar language” used by the president during the incident.
“Pedophile Protector”
W
During a visit of the River Rouge Complex in the Detroit suburb of Michigan, the president walked along the Ford assembly line and posed with some workers for selfies. But the tour took on a decidedly different tone when Trump approached Sabula’s station. The worker accused Trump of being a “pedophile protector,” a theme that has frequently been sounded in recent months due to links to convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Congress recently ordered the turnover of documents collectively known as the “Epstein files,” but the U.S. Justice Department has so far failed to release all but a small number of heavily redacted records.
For his part, Trump has repeatedly tried to downplay the Epstein case. Questions about it routinely generate a harsh response during media briefings and other events. After Sabula’s confrontation, the president responded by twice shouting “F** you” at the worker and then “flipping him the bird,” in colloquial terms.
The White House later issued a statement claiming, “A lunatic was wildly screaming expletives in a complete fit of rage,” Communications Director Steven Cheung declaring what the president did “an appropriate and unambiguous response.”
“No Regrets” – and a Lot of Support
White House Press Pool
For his part, Sabula told the Washington Post that he had “No regrets” for what he said to the president. But he did say he is concerned about now “targeted for political retribution” and the possibility he will be fired for “embarrassing Trump in front of his friends.”
During an appearance at a Detroit Auto Show preview Tuesday night Ford Chairman Bill Ford called the confrontation “unfortunate,” adding that he was “embarrassed” by what happened. But he told Autoblog he was not getting involved in any possible corporate moves to discipline Sabula. Ford Executive Director of Communications David Tovar subsequently stated that, “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.”
While Sabula is currently on suspension, he is receiving significant support from a variety of fronts.
Two GoFundMe Campaigns
Working at Ford can be lucrative, with blue collar wages running between $39,000 and $54,000 a year before factoring in extensive benefits and other compensation covered by the automaker’s latest contract with the UAW. So, it’s quickly apparent why Sabula might worry about his job on the line. But two GoFundMe campaigns launched by Sabula’s supporters – including one declaring him “a patriot” – could soften the blow should he be terminated.
Together they have now raised about $800,000 from around 35,000 donors. A comment on one of the campaigns, posted Wednesday night by someone identifying himself as Sabula, said, “We greatly appreciate the outpouring of support! At this time we are closing donations to this campaign and encourage you to look for other causes and organizations to support. We appreciate every single donation, comment, share, and sign of support!”
It’s far from certain Sabula will face more trouble than his current suspension. The UAW’s current contract has strict language limiting the reasons why a worker can be terminated. In its statement, the union said Sabula “believes in freedom of speech, a principle we wholeheartedly embrace, and we stand with our membership with protecting their voice on the job.” The union made it clear it will go to the mat to protect the worker to make sure he “receives the full protection of all negotiated contract language safeguarding his job and his rights as a union member.”
