A partisan crowd of Hillary Clinton supporters shouted down Donald Trump during his visit to a black church in Flint, Michigan on Wednesday.
Trump made a swing visit through Flint on his way to a campaign rally Wednesday evening in Canton, Ohio.
The city of Flint is plagued with high levels of lead and other contaminants in the city’s drinking water.
The city, state, and federal governments have been criticized for the slow response to the water crisis after children tested positive for high levels of lead.
Before heading to the church, Trump toured a water treatment plant that is still in dire need of millions of dollars in upgrades to its infrastructure.
After touring the plant, Trump stopped by the predominantly black Bethel United Methodist Church to give a scheduled speech.
The 70-year-old developer received an ice cold reception from the congregation of Clinton supporters.
Pamphlets distributed before Trump’s arrival reminded the press that his speech “in no way represents an endorsement.”
Audience members constantly interrupted Trump’s speech by shouting questions at him about old news that happened decades ago.
Just as Mr. Trump began criticizing Clinton, the church’s pastor, the Rev. Faith Green Timmons interrupted him, saying, “Mr. Trump, I invited you here to thank us, not make a political speech.”
“Oh, O.K., that’s good,” Mr. Trump responded courteously before resuming his speech on the city’s water crisis.
“Flint. And I’m going to back on to Flint. O.K. O.K. Flint’s pain is a result of so many different failures.”
But church members continued interrupting him, asking Trump if he ever “discriminated against black tenants” at a housing development in New York City way back in the day.
“No, I never, never would,” Mr. Trump responded to the hecklers.
After he was done speaking, one woman followed Trump off the stage. She asked him repeatedly what he meant by blacks “have nothing to lose,” by voting for him.
It’s a line that Trump used often at his campaign rallies.
Trump simply means blacks voted unanimously for Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012 because of the color of his skin.
Yet Obama has done nothing for black people in the 8 years he’s been in office.
Hillary Clinton’s record of doing nothing as secretary of state means blacks have nothing to lose by voting for a man who has employed thousands of black and Hispanic people for decades.
