Trump supporters tried to get a Hillsborough man fired from his job at a homeless family shelter over his activism. But it backfired, and is instead motivating Didier Jimenez-Castro to make his protests go even more viral.

Jimenez-Castro, an organizer of the movement to bring the Baby Trump balloon to New Jersey, said his job was in jeopardy after defenders of the president contacted his employer, alleging he was misrepresenting the organization in his activism.

However, the 29-year-old said he never brought his places of work into the protest, or named them. He believes Trump supporters may have found his employer through Facebook, and began calling and emailing the organization, where he works with homeless families.

When his higher-ups first spoke to him about the complaints, he "thought it was going to blow up" and he'd lose his job, Jimenez-Castro said.

After a meeting with his supervisors and HR representatives Friday afternoon, Jimenez-Castro showed the public support for the project and defended his activism.

"My bosses told me to keep doing what I'm doing, and I don't have to worry about any backlash," he said after the meeting. "They said, 'don't worry about Trump supporters, HR is dropping everything.'"

Jimenez-Castro made headlines after organizing a GoFundMe with Jim Girvan, organizer of anti-Trump activist group The People's Motorcade, to raise money to purchase a baby Trump balloon, inspired by the "patriotic actions of our friends" in London during Trump's visit earlier this month.

The pair exceeded their goal of $4,500 by more than $19,000 - which they'll use to purchase Trump quadruplet balloons, he said.

And now that he's gotten the attention of Trump supporters - including a Manchester woman who vowed to pop the balloon - he's using their rage against the balloon to fuel his fight, he said.

"It's like, with Rosa Parks, it wasn't about the seat, it's not about sitting in the front," he explained. "It's about sending a message and saying, 'No, I'm going to stand up to racism, fascism and these terrible policies.'"

He said although the unwanted attention to the job he loves and uncertainty about his employment kept him on edge, he wouldn't hesitate to do it again.

"At the end of the day, you have a backbone and say you're going to push against this," the activist added. "If you poke a lion, you're going to hear it roar."

Jimenez-Castro said now, he's shifting his focus back to the balloon to make sure it's available for a coast-to-coast tour by mid-August.

"We're using it for primaries, and timing is everything to winning primaries," he said. "We're back to working as hard as we can."

Sophie Nieto-Munoz may be reached at snietomunoz@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her at @snietomunoz. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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