Suspended Michigan autoworker who heckled Trump gets outpouring of donations

The Guardian - World NewsCenter-LeftEN 2 min read 100% complete by Michael SainatoJanuary 14, 2026 at 04:23 PM

AI Summary

medium article 2 min

A Ford autoworker in Michigan, TJ Sabula, was suspended without pay after heckling Donald Trump during the former president's tour of the River Rouge complex on Tuesday. Sabula reportedly called Trump a "pedophile protector," and a video appeared to show Trump responding with an obscene gesture. Sabula expressed concern about potential job security issues and claimed he was targeted for political retribution. A GoFundMe campaign was created to support Sabula and his family during his suspension. As of Wednesday morning, the campaign had raised over $70,000. The White House defended Trump's response, stating it was appropriate given the circumstances.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Dropkick Murphy's 30% Detroit Economic Club 30% Washington Post 40% River Rouge 40% TMZ 40% Steven Cheung 40% White House 40% United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 600 50% Michigan ×260% Ford ×370% Donald Trump ×690% TJ Sabula ×590%

Keywords

autoworker suspension 90% donald trump 80% heckling 70% ford plant 60% gofundme 50% political retribution 50% donations 40% united auto workers 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Positive

Score: 0.20

Source Transparency

Source

The Guardian - World News

Political Lean

Center-Left (-0.40)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

Geographic Perspective

Michigan

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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autoworker suspension donald trump heckling ford plant gofundme political retribution donations united auto workers

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