Autoworker Who Called Out Trump Keeps His Job

A Michigan autoworker who shouted an accusation at President Trump during a factory visit still has his job, his union says—despite the president reportedly telling him he'd be fired. UAW Vice President Laura Dickerson told a political conference in Washington on Monday that TJ Sabula was not disciplined after the clash at a Ford F-150 plant in Dearborn last month, Reuters reports. Video shows a worker on the line yelling what sounds like "pedophile protector" at Trump, who then turns, appears to respond with an expletive, and makes a middle-finger gesture before walking away.

Dickerson said Trump told Sabula he would lose his job, but the union pushed back. "This ain't The Apprentice," she said, adding that Sabula has "no discipline on his record" and framing the case as a free speech issue for union members. Online fundraisers for Sabula surged after the confrontation, pulling in more than $800,000 before he halted them, thanking supporters and asking donors to give to different causes. Ford Executive Chairman Bill Ford later called the episode "unfortunate" and said he was embarrassed by it. Sabula told the Washington Post after being suspended that he thought he was being targeted for "embarrassing Trump in front of his friends" and that he was concerned about his job. "As far as calling him out," he said, "definitely no regrets whatsoever."