
The United Auto Workers (UAW) has vowed to protect a Ford employee suspended after shouting at US President Donald Trump during a factory visit in Michigan. The incident, which saw Trump respond with vulgarity, has sparked debate over workplace free speech and drawn significant online support for the worker.
On 13 January, Trump toured the Dearborn Truck Plant to highlight his administration's manufacturing policies. As he walked the assembly line, TJ Sabula, a 40-year-old UAW member, called out 'pedophile protector' – an apparent reference to Trump's past associations with Jeffrey Epstein. Trump, caught on video, flipped the middle finger and mouthed an expletive at Sabula.