Ford worker who heckled Trump has 'no regrets' after getting flipped off by president

President Donald Trump talks with workers at Ford’s F-150 factory in Dearborn. Jan. 13, 2025 | White House photo

President Donald Trump caused a stir after he appeared to give the middle finger to an employee who had been heckling him about the Epstein files during an automotive plant visit, but according to a new interview with the Washington Post, the worker has "no regrets whatsoever" about his actions.

Trump had been visiting the Ford factory, which specializes in producing Ford's popular F-150 trucks, in Dearborn, Michigan, on Tuesday when the incident took place. The employee, 40-year-old line worker TJ Sabula, began shouting at the president over his administration's widely criticized handling of the Epstein files. In response, Trump was caught on video giving the middle finger to Sabula.

In a statement to the Post, Sabula's union, United Auto Workers Local 600, confirmed that he had been suspended for his heckling, pending a further investigation into his conduct. Sabula himself, however, was not shaken by how things played out.

"As far as calling him out, definitely no regrets whatsoever," Sabula told the Post, adding that his suspension was the result of him being “targeted for political retribution” for “embarrassing Trump in front of his friends.”

“I don’t feel as though fate looks upon you often, and when it does, you better be ready to seize the opportunity,” Sabula added. “And today I think I did that.”

Sabula identifies as independent politically, and while he has never voted for Trump, he has voted for other Republicans in the past.

An online fundraiser for Sabula, hailing him as "a patriot," was opened in the wake of his suspension. As of Wednesday morning, it had raised over $290,000, with an anonymous top donation of $5,000.

The White House defended Trump's actions at the Ford plant, characterizing Sabula as "a lunatic... wildly screaming expletives in a complete fit of rage," and calling the president's response "appropriate and unambiguous." Ford said that "we don’t condone" Sabula's actions, but otherwise declined to comment on personnel matters.

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