A MAGA congressman begrudgingly admitted that the suspended Ford worker who angered Donald Trump by calling him a “pedophile protector” was entitled to say exactly what he did.
Trump, 79, was caught on camera Tuesday giving the middle finger and mouthing “F— you” after factory worker TJ Sabula, 40, shouted “pedophile protector” during the president’s visit to the Ford plant in Detroit.
Sabula has since been suspended without pay pending an investigation. He told The Washington Post he believes he was “targeted for political retribution” for “embarrassing Trump in front of his friends.”
On Wednesday, reporter Pablo Manríquez pressed Tennessee Rep. Tim Burchett, a staunch Trump ally, on his reaction to a Sabula “calling out” the president.
“I think it’s a poor choice of words. I guess he has a First Amendment right, but in Tennessee, we have a right to fire his a–,” Burchett, 61, said in a video posted by MeidasTouch.
.@PabloReports: What do you make of this union worker who called out Trump?
Burchett: I guess he has a First Amendment right, but in Tennessee we have a right to fire his ass. pic.twitter.com/GFRWzOJ3EG— Acyn (@Acyn) January 14, 2026
Trump, a one-time friend of Jeffrey Epstein, has faced widespread condemnation over his handling of the files of the government’s investigation into the convicted sex offender.
Since the president signed a bill mandating the files’ full release in November, his administration has released several thousand documents. But it has yet to publish millions more in its possession and missed the December deadline.
Asked to respond to Americans who are waiting for the release of more files, Burchett said, “Well, tens of thousands have already been released,” and claimed that Democrats are slowing the process because they “want more stuff redacted.”
.@PabloReports: What’s your message to the American people who are waiting for the other 99% of the Epstein files?
Burchett: Tens of thousands have already been released. When they release these files, the Democrats ask to slow it down. They want more stuff redacted. pic.twitter.com/HwJQmb8bT5— Acyn (@Acyn) January 14, 2026
In fact, some Democrats have raised concerns that the Justice Department may be over-redacting records to shield Trump and other figures.
While nonunion private-sector employees have no First Amendment protection against being fired over their speech, union workers generally enjoy stronger safeguards, according to The New York Times.
The United Auto Workers defended Sabula and vowed to ensure he receives full protection in a statement on Wednesday.
“The UAW will ensure that our member receives the full protection of all negotiated contract language safeguarding his job and his rights as a union member,” UAW Vice President Laura Dickerson said. “Workers should never be subjected to vulgar language or behavior by anyone—including the President of the United States.”
Ford has declined to discuss Sabula’s status and praised Trump’s visit to the factory.
“We’ve seen the clip you’re referring to. One of our core values is respect, and we don’t condone anyone saying anything inappropriate like that within our facilities,” the company told Fox 2 in a statement. “When that happens, we have a process to deal with it, but we don’t get into specific personnel matters.”
Meanwhile, two GoFundMe fundraisers for Sabula have raised more than $700,000 for the autoworker collectively.
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung defended Trump’s foul-mouthed response to Sabula, saying, “A lunatic was wildly screaming expletives in a complete fit of rage, and the president gave an appropriate and unambiguous response,” Cheung said.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment.
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