Friday, March 29, 2024

Donald Trump Now Claiming Black Pastor Who Cut Him Off had it Planned (Watch)

Donald Trump interrupted by Rev. Faith Green-Timmons at Bethel United Methodist Church in Flint Michigan (Sept. 14, 2016) AP Photo/Evan Vucci
Donald Trump interrupted by Rev. Faith Green-Timmons at Bethel United Methodist Church in Flint Michigan (Sept. 14, 2016) AP Photo/Evan Vucci

*Donald Trump ran to Fox News this morning attempting to spin the optics of being interrupted by an African American pastor in Flint, Michigan on Wednesday during his speech at her church.

“Something was up,” Trump told “Fox & Friends” this morning. “I noticed she was so nervous when she introduced me.”

As reported yesterday, Pastor Faith Green Timmons of Bethel United Methodist Church had invited the GOP presidential nominee to speak as part of the church’s policy of welcoming “all people.” But when his address turned political, Pastor Timmons stepped in.

“Hillary failed with the economy just like she has failed on foreign policy – everything she touched didn’t work out. Nothing,” Trump said, addressing several dozen people in the church’s fellowship hall, according to the Detroit News.

Pastor Timmons, as the Detroit News reported it Wednesday, interrupted to say, “Mr. Trump I invited you here … not to give a political speech.”

“Oh, ok. That’s good,” he reportedly replied.

But on “Fox & Friends” Thursday, Trump accused her of having her interruption planned out in advance.

“When she got up to introduce me she was so nervous, she was shaking. I said, wow, this is kind of strange. Then she came up. So she had that in mind, there’s no question,” Trump said.

NPR’s Scott Detrow this morning said Trump’s Thursday recap on “Fox & Friends” was not what actually happened. He wrote:

I was in the room as a pool reporter at the time and here’s what happened: Trump visited Bethel United Methodist Church on Wednesday afternoon after briefly touring Flint’s water treatment plant. (Flint has become a must-visit campaign stop this year, because of its high-profile water quality crisis.)

Pastor Faith Green Timmons introduced Trump to the predominantly African-American crowd of about 50 people, and she didn’t appear nervous at all.

Trump began his brief speech with a joke. “It used to be cars were made in Flint, and you couldn’t drink the water in Mexico. Now the cars are made in Mexico, and you can’t drink the water in Flint.”

After that, Trump shifted into a version of his now-standard stump speech, blasting free trade deals like NAFTA, and pointing out that then-President Clinton completed the international trade deal.

As Trump began to criticize his opponent, Hillary Clinton, Timmons slowly walked back onto the stage.

“Mr. Trump, I invited you here to thank us for what we’ve done for Flint, not to give a political speech,” she said.

“Oh, oh, OK, OK, OK, that’s good,” Trump said. “Then I’m going to go back onto Flint, OK.”

“The audience was saying let him speak, let him speak,” Trump told Fox and Friends.

That isn’t true. In fact, several audience members began to heckle Trump, asking pointed questions about whether he racially discriminated against black tenants as a landlord.

And that’s when Timmons — who Trump said Thursday had planned to ambush him — stepped in to defend Trump, saying the Republican nominee was “a guest of my church, and you will respect him.”

“Thank you. Thank you, pastor,” Trump responded.

The pointed questions for Trump continued as Trump wrapped up his remarks, though — and that’s the moment when the press traveling with Trump was hastily escorted out of the room.

Watch Trump’s phone interview on Thursday’s “Fox & Friends” below:

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