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Ford worker who confronted Trump and was suspended gets over $800,000 in donations

One GoFundMe page raised over $480,920 for the Ford employee within 24 hours, while another raised over $330,055.
UPDATED JAN 16, 2026
President Donald Trump at Ford Motor Company (Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Anna Moneymaker)
President Donald Trump at Ford Motor Company (Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Anna Moneymaker)

As Americans struggle to make ends meet and layoffs make things worse, people came together in a show of solidarity for a Ford employee who lost his job. When President Donald Trump visited Ford's Michigan, the worker named TJ Sabula confronted the president about the Epstein files. Trump demanded that the company fire the employee, and he was suspended. 

GoFundMe
TJ Sabula GoFundMe page (Image Source: GoFundMe)

Business Insider reported that two separate GoFundMe pages were started to raise money for Sabula by supporters who called him a 'patriot'. One raised more than $480,920 raised for the Ford employee within 24 hours, while the other has raised over $330,055. Sean Williams, who started one of the pages, claimed, "I am in direct contact with TJ, and we are discussing the donation beneficiary and how best to proceed. He is super grateful for everyone’s support and donations! I am working on transferring this donation project to TJ - for him to control directly." He added, "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!" Sabula showed gratitude to his donors on the page via the comments section.

Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Chip Somodevilla
(Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Chip Somodevilla)

"The autoworker at the Dearborn Truck Plant is a proud member of a strong and fighting union—the UAW," Laura Dickerson, vice president of the United Auto Workers (UAW), stated. "He believes in freedom of speech, a principle we wholeheartedly embrace, and we stand with our membership in protecting their voice on the job," Dickerson revealed that the UAW is reviewing Sabula's suspension. She sided with Sabula, saying, "Workers should never be subjected to vulgar language or behavior by anyone — including the President of the United States."

President Donald Trump at Ford Motor Company (Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Anna Moneymaker)
President Donald Trump at Ford Motor Company (Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Anna Moneymaker)

Meanwhile, Sabula told The Washington Post that he has no regrets whatsoever. "I don't feel as though fate looks upon you often, and when it does, you better be ready to seize the opportunity," he said. A second GoFundMe started by Diandra Gourlay has raised funds from over 13,000 contributors. "Let's rally and support TJ and help him pay some bills (and force DJT to release the Trump/Epstein Files)," Gourlay mentioned on the page. "TJ Sabula, a worker at the Ford Rouge Plant, voiced concerns about President Donald J Trump during the president's visit to the plant. Ford responded by suspending TJ without pay," the post added. As of now, the donations are suspended on both pages. 

Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Chip Somodevilla
(Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Chip Somodevilla) 

The White House defended Trump's actions by stating that, "A lunatic was wildly screaming expletives in a complete fit of rage, and the President gave an appropriate and unambiguous response." Ford spokesperson David Tovar told CBS that they had reviewed the video. "One of our core values is respect, and we don't condone anyone saying anything inappropriate like that within our facilities. When that happens, we have a process to deal with it, but we don't get into specific personnel matters," Tovar said. 

More on Market Realist:

Ford CEO Jim Farley admits the American economy is 'in trouble' — and blames one major cause

Woman Raises Money on GoFundMe After Claiming she was Attacked; Turns out to be a Liar

Trump admin is offering tech jobs with pay up to $200,000 — here's all you need to know

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