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In federal service there's a concept called Redress of Wrongs. In the military, it's codified as Redress Of Wrongs by the Commander. One must essentially give their boss, who they think did something wrong, a chance to take remedial action before complaining to anyone else.
If the result of the redress is unsatisfactory, then it's understood that the complainant is free to take it to anyone and everyone else. Saving your job is not generally accepted as a reason to bypass a redress. Physical harm would be.
Many have confronted Trump and lost; or, quit their jobs without being physically harmed. If the whistleblower went to the IG without having informed Trump of perceived wrongdoing, the whistleblower might never be trusted in government service again. We'll never know if the whistleblowers redress would have convinced Trump to reverse course. It seems that Presidents have reversed course on bigger decisions.
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