Ford Reportedly Suspends Line Worker For Heckling Trump During Factory Tour: Donors Rush To Support Employee

The Wall Street Journal reported that the 40-year-old line worker T.J.Sabula heckled the President during his tour of a Michigan truck factory on Tuesday.

• Sabula reportedly shouted out “pedophile protector” as the President walked past. 
• Trump responded by pointing and raising his middle finger, WSJ said.
• The White House termed Trump’s response as “appropriate and unambiguous,” as per the report.  

Dearborn-based automaker Ford Motor Co. (F) has reportedly suspended a worker who heckled President Donald Trump during his visit to a truck factory in Michigan.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the 40-year-old line worker T.J.Sabula heckled the President during his tour of a Michigan truck factory on Tuesday. He shouted out “pedophile protector” as the President walked past and Trump responded by pointing and raising his middle finger, the report said.

Involved Players React

Sabula reportedly told the Washington Post after the incident that he has no regrets about the event and he was about 60 feet from Trump when he yelled out.

Democrat Rep. Debbie Dingell reportedly told WSJ that she spoke with Sabula and he is “rattled” and “fearful for his family.” “I hope the company doesn’t fire him,” Dingell said.

“One of our core values is respect and we don’t condone anyone saying anything inappropriate like that within our facilities,” a Ford spokesperson reportedly told WSJ.

Meanwhile, the White House also termed Trump’s response as “appropriate and unambiguous,” as per the report.  

Ford did not immediately respond to Stocktwits’ request for comment on the incident. Shares of the company traded marginally in the red at the time of writing.

Outpouring Of Support

A GoFundMe page created for Sabula and aimed at helping him pay bills following his suspension has raised $282,834 as of the time of writing. The page has drawn over 12.8k donations including as much as $5000 from an anonymous donor.

“TJ was suspended from his job at the Ford Automotive Company for correctly calling President Donald J Trump a Pedophile Protector!! Let’s rally and support TJ and help him pay some bills,” the page states.

How Did Stocktwits Users React?

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment around F stock stayed within the ‘bullish’ territory over the past 24 hours, while message volume increased from ‘high’ to ‘extremely high’ levels.

F shares have gained 43% over the past 12 months. 

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