FLINT, Mich.—Donald Trump was cut off, chastised and then heckled after he attacked rival Hillary Clinton during what was supposed to be a speech on helping where the government had failed the people of Flint, Michigan.
“Mr. Trump, I invited you here to thank us for what we’ve done in Flint, not give a political speech,” said the Rev. Faith Green Timmons, the pastor of the Bethel United Methodist Church.
The Republican nominee quickly stopped, then said “Ok, that’s good, Then I’m going to go back to Flint” and its water crisis that had sickened its citizens.
“What we pray is that it conveys a fine example of a faithful, intelligent, historically African-American congregating at work, serving and volunteering among the people of Flint as we work through this crisis of national impact,” read the statement. “We cannot let this story drift from national attention for any reason.”
But later at a rally in Ohio, Trump insisted he was undeterred by the tough reception and would be “willing to campaign anywhere, even if voters openly oppose me somewhere.”
“Some people in those communities aren’t planning on voting for me and that’s ok — I will be the president for all Americans,” Trump said in front of rowdy crowd of about 5,000 people in Canton. “I’m running to bring hope to Flint.”
The visit to Flint, where most residents are African-American, comes as Trump has increased his outreach to minorities, arguing that Democratic policies have left inner cities impoverished and dangerous.
Critics say Trump paints an overly bleak picture of life in urban African-American communities, where crime has fallen and the life expectancy has risen in recent decades. Some black leaders have also suggested thatTrump’s outreach to minorities is mostly about proving to undecided white voters that he’s not racist.
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