Donald Trump started attacking Hillary Clinton at a Flint church. The pastor told him to stop.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 14 September 2016

Donald Trump was in Flint, Michigan, on Wednesday, for a controversial campaign stop that the city's mayor herself derided as a "photo op." After touring a city water treatment plant, Trump headed to the Bethel United Methodist Church to seemingly discuss the city's highly publicized water contamination crisis.

When he arrived, however, Trump apparently couldn't resist politicizing his visit to the church, which has been passing out water and food items to residents affected by the lead contamination in Flint. During his remarks, he began lobbing attacks at Democratic rival Hillary Clinton — until the Bethel pastor came on stage and asked him to stop, saying she had invited him to "thank us for the work we've done in Flint, not to give a political speech":

CNN's Phil Mattingly reports Trump cut his visit to the church short after the incident, forgoing a planned question-and-answer session. And it seems the besieged city was a late addition to Trump's campaign schedule: The Republican candidate promised earlier this month to visit, but reportedly did not notify Flint Mayor Karen Weaver ahead of his Thursday arrival, and few details regarding the trip were available ahead of time.