President Donald Trump was caught on video yelling “F–k you” and raising his middle finger at a man who called him a “pedophile protector” during a visit to a Ford Motor Co. plant in Dearborn, Michigan.
The confrontation unfolded on Tuesday (January 13) as Trump toured Ford’s F-150 factory ahead of remarks he delivered at the Detroit Economic Club. In a video that quickly spread online, a staffer, later identified as 40-year-old Ford line worker TJ Sabula, a member of UAW Local 600, shouted the accusation from the factory floor. Trump responded by mouthing the expletive twice and gesturing with his middle finger as he walked away.
BREAKING: 40 year old TJ Sabula, has been suspended from Ford for calling Trump a Pedo Protector, and getting flipped off, pending investigation.
Someone create a GoFundMe please!
Should we also boycott Ford? pic.twitter.com/wYGNrJ1ptZ— Brian Krassenstein (@krassenstein) January 14, 2026
The worker’s “pedophile protector” comment was an apparent reference to Trump’s widely reported connections to the late financier and convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, as well as ongoing controversy surrounding the delayed release of Epstein-related FBI documents.
A spokesperson for the United Auto Workers confirmed that Sabula was suspended following the incident. The length of the suspension remains unclear.
Despite the suspension, Sabula told The Washington Post that he has “no regrets” about speaking out in the moment.
The White House defended Trump’s response to the comment. Communications director Steven Cheung described the worker as “a lunatic” who was “wildly screaming expletives,” adding that the president’s response was “appropriate and unambiguous.”
Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Ann Arbor) said she is seeking clarification from Ford about whether the discipline violates the worker’s rights.
“When you’re on a factory floor with union members who have strong feelings, you need to be prepared for whatever they’re going to say,” Dingell said. “I hope they’re not firing him.”
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