Donald Trump calls Flint pastor who interrupted him 'a nervous mess'

Mr Trump attempted to dig into Hillary Clinton's 'failures' when Rev Faith Green-Timmons asked him to stop

Donald Trump criticised the pastor who interrupted him during an appearance in Flint, Michigan, calling her a “nervous mess” in an interview after his political blunder.

The Republican nominee visited Flint amid criticism that he was exploiting the water crisis for a simply “photo op” by the city’s Mayor Karen Weaver, who said Mr Trump had not contacted her about his plans, nor did he propose any help to the city.

The dust up with the pastor only reinforced criticism of his intentions for visiting Flint.

Mr Trump gave a speech to the historically-black Bethel United Methodist Church on Thursday following a brief visit to the dormant Flint water plant. But his address was cut short when he launched into a tirade about the failures of his opponent Hillary Clinton.

Rev Faith Green-Timmons quickly stopped him and informed him that he was not invited to the church to make a political speech, but to thank them for the work they have done to help the Flint community.

However, in his response, Mr Trump accused Ms Green-Timmons of playing politics.

“Everyone plays their games. It doesn’t bother me,” Mr Trump told Fox & Friends, adding that she was visibly shaking. “But she was so nervous. She was like a nervous mess, and so I figured something – I figured something was up, really.”

He added that members of the audience pleaded with the pastor to “let him speak”, although audience members at the sparsely attended event appeared to applaud the pastor in the video.

An NPR reporter present at the event disputed Mr Trump’s claim, adding that some in attendance heckled the New York businessman. Ms Green-Timmons defended the candidate, however, and told hecklers that he was “a guest of my church, and you will respect him”.

In the Thursday morning interview, Mr Trump elaborated on the plight of Flint, echoing similar statements made in his apparent outreach to black voters.

“The whole place [Flint] is – not only the water, the water is what – what they did with the water is horrible,” he said, “but the crime rate and all the other problems they have and people want to see – you know when I use the expression, I say, ‘What do you have to lose? I’m going to fix it. I’m going to fix it. What do you have to lose?’