Trump Goes After The Guy He Flip His Finger~What's Going on
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An online fundraiser for a Ford worker who was reportedly flipped off by President Donald Trump on Tuesday has raised more than $200,000 in just a few hours.
"Please help us raise funds for patriot TJ Sabula!! TJ was suspended from his job at the Ford Automotive Company for correctly calling President Donald J. Trump [DJT] a pedophile protector!!," Sean Williams, the organizer, wrote on the page.
It comes after the president was touring Ford's F-150 plant ahead of his address at the Detroit Economic Club when a worker yelled "pedophile protector" at him, TMZ reported.
According to video obtained by the news outlet, Trump appeared to utter an expletive in response and gave the middle finger.
It comes amid renewed attention on the Trump administration's slow release of the records related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
White House director of communications Steven Cheung told Newsweek on Tuesday that "a lunatic was wildly screaming expletives in a complete fit of rage, and the president gave an appropriate and unambiguous response."
Newsweek contacted GoFundMe for comment via email and the fundraiser's organizer via a contact form on the website.
President Donald Trump speaking at the Detroit Economic Club in Michigan on Tuesday, January 13,
The Trump administration has faced criticism for the slow and incomplete release of files relating to Epstein, which has sparked frustration among lawmakers and victims, as well as calls for investigations and potential penalties against the Department of Justice (DOJ) and its leadership.
What To Know
Williams, the organizer of the GoFundMe, wrote on the page: “Let’s rally and support TJ and help him pay some bills (and force DJT to release the Trump/Epstein Files) LFG!!”
In an update, Williams wrote that he had made contact with Sabula.
“He is super grateful for everyone’s support and donations,” Williams wrote.
On Wednesday morning, more than $200,000 had been raised from over 9,000 donors since the fundraiser was launched.
Sabula, a 40-year-old United Auto Workers Local 600 line worker, told The Washington Post that he was the one who shouted at Trump and “as far as calling him out, definitely no regrets whatsoever.”
But he said he is worried about his job and believes he has been “targeted for political retribution” for “embarrassing Trump in front of his friends.”
On a Facebook account that appears to belong to Sabula, the profile picture was updated late Tuesday to what appears to be an AI-enhanced screenshot from the video of Trump giving the middle finger. Newsweek has contacted the account for comment.
Newsweek has also contacted United Auto Workers and Ford via email for comment. A spokesperson for the union confirmed to the news website Michigan Advance that the worker had been suspended.
A spokesperson for Ford did not provide details, but told TMZ that the company doesn’t “condone anyone saying anything inappropriate like that within our facilities” and "When that happens, we have a process to deal with it.”
Meanwhile, lawmakers are continuing to push for the complete release of the Epstein files.
Last week, Representatives Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, and Kentucky Republican Thomas Massie, who co-sponsored legislation that forced the public release of files in the sex-trafficking investigation into Epstein, asked a judge in a letter to appoint a special master to oversee the release of the materials.
They wrote that they had “urgent and grave concerns” about the DOJ's failure to comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which required the files to be released by December 19.
Trump administration officials have said the files’ release has been slowed due to the large quantity and the redactions required to protect the identities of victims.
What People Are Saying
A Ford spokesperson told TMZ: ”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. 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.”
Representative Rashida Tlaib, a Michigan Democrat, told the Michigan Advance: “Ford said they can’t talk about it because it’s a human resources issue. In the past, when President [Barack] Obama [went] onto the plant floor and other times people have said some terrible things, they didn’t get fired.”
Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin wrote on X in response to the clip of Trump: “Protecting pedophiles and saying f*** you to American workers.”
What Happens Next
It remains unclear how long the Ford worker may remain suspended from his role or whether he could face further disciplinary action.
Meanwhile, the DOJ does not expect to release more documents until January 20 or 21, The Associated Press reported, citing a person briefed on a letter to U.S. attorneys.* It seems they need more time to get Trump off the pages that are more incriminating. Adam
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