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The auto worker who was suspended for calling President Donald Trump a “pedophile protector” during the president’s visit to a Ford plant in Michigan Tuesday, a comment that prompted a middle finger from the commander in chief, said he has “no regrets.”
TJ Sabula, 40, shouted “pedophile protector!” at Trump as he toured the Ford River Rouge complex in Dearborn.
The president responded by saying the words “f— you” twice and giving the middle finger, according to video of the incident obtained by TMZ, which reported that the exchange followed a person shouting an insult at the president off-camera.
President Donald Trump recognizes employees during a tour of the Ford River Rouge plant in Dearborn, Michigan. (The White House via X)
Sabula said he was later suspended pending an internal investigation into the incident, but that he “has no regrets whatsoever.”
“As far as calling him out, absolutely no regrets,” Sabula told The Washington Post. He estimated he was standing about 60 feet away from Trump and said the president could hear him “very, very, very clearly.”
He said that while he is concerned about the future of his job, he believes he was “the target of political retaliation” for “embarrassing Trump in front of his friends.”
President Donald Trump walks with Ford River Rouge Plant Manager Corey Williams (right), Ford Motor Company Executive Chairman Bill Ford Jr. (left) and Ford Motor Company CEO Jim Farley (second from right). (Getty Images / Getty Images)
“I don’t feel like fate strikes you very often, and when it does, you better be ready to take the opportunity,” he said. “And today I think I did that.”
Sabula described herself as a political independent who never voted for Trump but has supported other Republican candidates.
The White House, in response to the exchange, argued that Trump gave an “appropriate” response to the autoworker.
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President Donald Trump speaks with Ford Chairman Bill Ford (second from left) and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (left) as he tours Ford Motor Company’s River Rouge complex in Dearborn, Michigan. (Getty Images / Getty Images)
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“A madman shouted wild expletives in a full-blown fit of rage, and the president gave an appropriate and unequivocal response,” White House communications director Steven Cheung said in a statement.
This comes as Trump’s Justice Department faces continued scrutiny from Republicans and Democrats over its delay in releasing documents related to the investigation into deceased sex predator Jeffrey Epstein. A bipartisan law required the full release of the documents by December 19, but it is estimated that only about 1% of the files have been made public.
