Ford Worker Who Called Trump A 'Pedophile Protector' Reportedly No Longer Suspended

Collin Woodard
Wed, February 4, 2026 



Bill Ford and Jim Farley clearly regretting their decision to invite Trump to tour Ford's factory - Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Ford factory worker TJ Sabula, who was suspended for calling President Trump a "pedophile protector," has had his suspension lifted and is still employed by Ford.See more

When factory worker TJ Sabula called President Trump a "pedophile protector," during a visit to a Ford plant in Dearborn, Michigan last month, Ford suspended him. At the time, though, it wasn't clear whether Sabula's suspension would ultimately lead to Ford firing him. He had the United Auto Workers Union's support, but even if he wasn't fired, would he even want to come back? That remains to be seen, but according to industry reporter Phoebe Wall Howard, the sources she's spoken with say Sabula's suspension has been lifted.

In a recent post on Substack, Howard reports her sources say that, not only is Sabula no longer suspended, he's also still "a member of UAW Local 600 in Dearborn and employed by Ford." Whether he's already back on the job or still taking some time off isn't clear, though, and she was unable to reach Sabula to talk about his plans. Personally, I choose to believe he didn't return her call because he's on a beach somewhere, sipping cold, fruity drinks and not answering his phone, but that's more headcanon than a fact supported by evidence.

When Howard contacted Ford for a statement, the representative declined, saying "the company does not comment on personnel matters." Meanwhile, Laura Dickerson, a UAW vice president who oversees the union's Ford division, said the UAW still supports Sabula and has done its best to ensure he's treated fairly according to the terms of the contract, but she also said she couldn't comment further. That said, multiple unnamed sources reportedly told Howard that the contract Ford signed with the UAW would allow Sabula to take personal leave if he wanted to

But what about other workers' hurt feelings?

Donald Trump with his best friend, the convicted child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein - Davidoff Studios Photography/Getty Images

As Howard points out, technically, Sabula was already on paid leave during his suspension while Ford tried to figure out what to do with him. Apparently, multiple sources "...close to the situation" told her that "[a] secondary concern involved drama related to the employee's return to a politically diverse work environment," because "[a] significant number of UAW members supported Trump on Election Day."

Whether Sabula chooses to return to his job or not, the good news is, he shouldn't have to worry about money for a while. In response to Sabula showing more bravery than the supposed leaders of the Democratic Party, supporters started two separate GoFundMe campaigns to help Sabula out financially. Those GoFundMes ended up being so successful that, not only did they raise nearly $800,000, he also paused the campaigns and asked supporters to donate to other good causes.

Even if Sabula doesn't plan to retire early in a foreign country with a low cost of living, after taxes, that's still a nice chunk of change that should give him plenty of options, including the ability to get more deeply involved in political organizing or advocacy. Personally, I'd probably take a nice, long vacation, buy a new Corvette, and then return to work, just to make everyone who supports the man who was best friends with Epstein uncomfortable, but I'm also petty and that may not be his style. Wherever Sabula goes, though, I hope he never has to pay for a single drink again.

Jimmy Kimmel Skewers Trump for Meltdown at Kaitlan Collins Over Epstein Question

David Gilmour
Wed, February 4, 2026 

Jimmy Kimmel criticized President Trump for berating CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins during a press conference about Jeffrey Epstein.




Jimmy Kimmel skewered President Donald Trump for his wild scolding of CNN chief White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins as he dodged a question about Jeffrey Epstein.

On Tuesday night, the host of Jimmy Kimmel Live! aired footage of Trump lashing out at Collins hours earlier in an Oval Office presser after she asked what he would say to survivors of Epstein’s sex-trafficking operation who believe justice has still not been served.

Rather than engage with the substance of the question, Trump attempted to shut it down entirely, snapping, “You are the worst reporter. CNN has no ratings because of people like you. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile. I’ve known you for 10 years. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a smile on your face… You know why you’re not smiling? Because you know you’re not telling the truth. And you’re a very dishonest organization, and they should be ashamed of you.”

After rolling the clip back, Kimmel quipped: “We are now at the ‘women should smile more’ stage of his presidency.”

“I’m trying to think of a worse time to tell a woman to smile more than when that person is a reporter asking about the Epstein victims. I can’t,” Kimmel added.

Kimmel also took aim at the administration’s broader handling of the Epstein revelations, mocking Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche’s attempt to downplay seizing on the names mentioned in the files: “It is not a crime to party with Mr. Epstein.”

“Stop being such a buzzkill, everybody,” he said. “Our forefathers had to fight for our right to party with Mr. Epstein.”

The host went on to slam the president for threats to sue Harvard University and the New York Times, joking: “Every post is a ransom note from the president.”