Trump’s visit to Flint shows his true ‘character’

Samantha Durham | Staff Writer

Donald Trump really tried to do something nice a few days ago, but it just did not work out in his favor. Trump made an appearance at the Bethel United Methodist Church in Flint, Michigan where Pastor Faith Green Timmons interrupted him. As I feel we can all predict, Trump did not like the interruption very much.

In true Trump fashion, he started bashing Timmons for the “unjustified” interruption by stating that Pastor Timmons was “a nervous mess” according to The New York Times.

This all started because Trump began to speak negatively about his opponent, Hillary Clinton. After Trump began laying into Clinton, Pastor Timmons interrupted him stating, “Mr. Trump, I invited you here to thank us, not make a political speech,” The New York Times reported.

Trump was invited to Flint to discuss the economic situation and thank the church for their aid though the Flint water crisis, which is a water contamination issue that began in April of 2014.

Trump stated in an interview with Fox News in regards to Pastor Timmons, “She was so nervous, she was like a nervous mess. I figured something was up.” He also claimed that Pastor Timmons had her own political agenda and stated, “Everyone plays their games, it doesn’t bother me,” reported The New York Times.

Hillary Clinton even made sure to get in on the action by stating, “He called her a nervous mess. That’s not only insulting, it’s dead wrong. She’s a rock for her community in trying time. She deserves better, and Flint deserves better – in fact, so does America,” according to The New York Times.

Trump, I have to call you out on this one. You went to Flint to thank the people and maybe bring some positivity to a struggling community, but instead you made it about you. These people were looking for you to bring something other than your dislike for Hillary Clinton and sadly you disappointed them.

It is very clear that he was embarrassed for being interrupted. Yes, Pastor Timmons called Trump out for being a jerk and yet, he continued to be a jerk even after he left by calling her “a nervous mess” and stating that she probably had her own political agenda.

Good for Pastor Timmons for standing up to him and telling him to straighten up. That has to take a lot of guts. I agree with her though, if he came to speak about Flint he should have kept other topics off the table. Not to mention, I have no idea what Trump feels he has to gain for being that way towards voters. I mean, come on, we are all going to hear about it and I should really say that I was not surprised he pulled something like this.

How he talked about Pastor Timmons is disrespectful and while he may not agree with what she did, he still should be able to hold himself accountable for his actions as well. Part of being a good leader is the ability to admit you were wrong, and right those wrongs. Unfortunately, I am not seeing a lot of effort on Trump’s part to do that, and that is a true measure of character in my eyes.