“Now, the cars are made in Mexico, and you can’t drink the water in Flint”, Trump told the crowd at Bethel United Methodist Church in Flint. “Not give a political speech”.
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“Mr Trump, I invited you here to thank us for what we’ve done in Flint, not give a political speech”, she said. She issued a statement on her Facebook page saying that neither Trump nor his staff have reached out since the crisis was declared an emergency.
The guests inside the church included “Little Miss Flint” Mari Copeny, whose letter to President Obama moved him to visit the beleaguered city.
“Late in the campaign and now he wants to speak about the Flint Water Crisis”.
“We shouldn’t allow it to happen”, he said.
The city, a majority of whose 100,000 residents are poor and black, used the Flint River for tap water for more than 18 months to save money.
Trump reverted to talking about drinking water problems in Flint, but he was heckled by the audience.
“I don’t support Trump coming here, I don’t support his presidency” she said, holding a neon green sign that read #SAYNOTOBIGOTRY. However, Trump took more criticism after the New York Times published a draft memo appearing to show scripted answers to Bishop Jackson’s prepared questions. “It’s incredible the damage that has been done”.
Trump tried to re-calibrate.
Flint is an important campaign stop for the presidential nominees, who must address the city’s toxic water supply.
“Now I understand there are going to be some people in these communities who aren’t planning on voting for me, and that’s OK”, he said.
Whatever one’s politics, however, observers loved that line. “As long as we can get some kind of positive spotlight and just not fade from the public mind, I think it’s a good thing”.
Before his talk inside Wednesday afternoon, a gaggle of curious onlookers and media had gathered outside the church, waiting for Trump’s arrival.
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The reverend had said in a statement distributed to reporters that the visit “in no way” represented an endorsement of Trump’s candidacy.
