The Ford employee whose heckling of Donald Trump prompted an obscene gesture from the US president has been suspended, the US auto workers’ union said Wednesday.
During a tour of the Ford Motor Company’s F-150 factory in Dearborn, Michigan on Tuesday, Trump raised his middle finger at the worker following catcalls, according to widely seen video of the incident.
The heckler seemed to shout, in part, “pedophile protector,” US media reported — an apparent reference to suspicions that Trump has been covering up disclosures related to the convicted sex offender and late financier Jeffrey Epstein, a former friend of the president.
The United Auto Workers confirmed the employee had been suspended, adding that it would fight for his job.
“The autoworker at the Dearborn Truck Plant is a proud member of a strong and fighting union — the UAW,” UAW Ford Department Director Laura Dickerson said in a statement.
“He believes in freedom of speech, a principle we wholeheartedly embrace, and we stand with our membership in protecting their voice on the job.”
The UAW “will ensure that our member receives the full protection of all negotiated contract language safeguarding his job and his rights as a union member,” the statement added.
Ford did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Press accounts have identified the factory worker as TJ Sabula. AFP efforts to reach Sabula were not immediately successful.
Sabula confirmed to the Washington Post that he was referencing the Epstein scandal. Sabula said he was concerned about the future of his job but had no regrets about the incident.
“I don’t feel as though fate looks upon you often, and when it does, you better be ready to seize the opportunity,” Sabula, 40, told the Post. “And today I think I did that.”
As of midday Wednesday, a GoFundMe campaign headlined “TJ Sabula is a patriot!!” had more than $335,000 in donations.
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