Tens of thousands of dollars have been raised for a Michigan autoworker who was suspended without pay after heckling Donald Trump during a tour of a Ford plant. TJ Sabula reportedly called the president a 'pedophile protector' as Trump visited the River Rouge complex on Tuesday.
In a video published by TMZ, Trump appeared to respond by giving Sabula the middle finger and yelling obscenities. Sabula told the Washington Post he had 'definitely no regrets whatsoever' but expressed concern about his job security, claiming he had been 'targeted for political retribution'.
A GoFundMe campaign created to cover his lost income had raised more than $150,000 by Wednesday lunchtime, with donors including the band Dropkick Murphys. The campaign states that Sabula is a father of two, a husband, and a proud United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 600 line worker.
The White House communications director, Steven Cheung, did not confirm whether Trump made the gesture but said the president gave an 'appropriate and unambiguous response' to a 'lunatic' screaming expletives. The UAW criticised Sabula's suspension and vowed to fight it, with vice-president Laura Dickerson stating that workers should not be subjected to vulgar language or behaviour by anyone, including the president.
