A Ford employee who was suspended with pay after a tense exchange with President Donald Trump during the president’s visit to a Michigan facility has drawn an enormous wave of online fundraising support — so much that he has asked people to stop donating.
TJ Sabula, a 40-year-old United Auto Workers Local 600 line worker, was suspended by Ford after he heckled Trump during the visit. In video accounts and reports of the moment, Trump responded by making an obscene hand gesture and appeared to mouth an expletive.
Soon after, supporters created two separate GoFundMe campaigns for Sabula. By mid-morning on January 15, the two fundraisers had collected a combined $811,010 from nearly 35,000 donations. Sabula later posted an update saying the outpouring had reached a point where he and his family no longer needed additional help.
In one message posted to a campaign page, Sabula wrote: “We greatly appreciate the outpouring of support! At this time we are closing donations to this campaign and encourage you to look for other causes and organizations to support. We appreciate every single donation, comment, share, and sign of support!” The second campaign carried a similar note and also said it was closing donations.
What happened at the plant
Reports say Sabula shouted at Trump during the factory stop, including calling him a “pedophile protector.” The confrontation came amid renewed public criticism of how quickly the Department of Justice has released information related to Jeffrey Epstein, including concerns about redactions, under requirements tied to the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
The White House did not attempt to downplay Trump’s response. A spokesperson told The Washington Post that “A lunatic was wildly screaming expletives in a complete fit of rage, and the President gave an appropriate and unambiguous response.”
Sabula, for his part, told The Post that he has “no regrets whatsoever,” though he also said he’s worried about what happens next at work and believes he may be facing “political retribution” for “embarrassing Trump in front of his friends.”
Union support — and political reactions
It remains unclear whether Sabula will face additional discipline beyond the suspension, but the UAW has publicly backed him. The union posted a statement saying its member is “a proud member of a strong and fighting union,” and that it supports free speech while pledging to enforce contract protections related to his job and rights as a union member. The statement also criticized vulgar conduct on the job — “including the President of the United States.”
Sabula has also received public support from Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Detroit, according to the Detroit Free Press, and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has voiced support as well.
Not everyone welcomed the incident. Ford Executive Chair Bill Ford, who earlier described meeting Trump as “the experience of a lifetime,” said afterward that employee discipline is an internal matter. He added that the disruption was a brief moment in an otherwise positive visit, and said he felt embarrassed as the host.
Fundraising backlash isn’t new
Large crowdfunding totals tied to controversy often draw criticism about whether someone is being rewarded for “bad behavior.” The article notes a separate, unrelated case from early 2025 in which a Minnesota woman recorded using a racist slur toward a child later raised more than $800,000 on GiveSendGo, according to NBC News. The woman was charged with three counts of disorderly conduct by the City of Rochester, and ABC 6 News reported her trial was scheduled to begin in August 2026.
