Pastor stops Donald Trump from insulting Hillary Clinton at church in Michigan

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump got a swift talking to when he attempted to attack his rival Hillary Clinton during a speech at a church in Flint, Michigan. A pastor who hosted the GOP nominee interrupted him to remind him the real reason for his visit.

"Mr Trump, I invited you here to thank us for what we've done in Flint, not give a political speech," Reverend Faith Green Timmons of the Bethel United Methodist Church said. Timmons stopped Trump short of launching into his prepared remarks on the Democratic nominee.

"Okay. That's good. Then I'm going back onto Flint, okay? Flint's pain is a result of so many different failures," Trump said in response. According to CNN, Trump had been ready to attack Clinton for supporting free trade agreements, which Trump blamed for the economic distress in Flint.

"Hillary failed on the economy," he began. "Just like she's failed on foreign policy. Everything she touched didn't work out. Nothing. Now Hillary Clinton..." Trump managed to say before being interrupted.

The visit to the church also included some heckling towards the outspoken real estate mogul. CNN reported a woman interrupted Trump to allege he "discriminated against black tenants" in a reference to the 1973 Justice Department civil rights lawsuit against Trump and his father's landlord practices.

"No, I never—never would never would," he said before Timmons called on her congregants to show him respect.

Prior to Trump's appearance, Timmons provided a statement saying that her church welcomes "all people". She said: "This public event is open to all and today Donald Trump came to observe. Trump's presence at Bethel United Methodist in no way represents an endorsement of his candidacy."

Trump's stop in Timmons' church was part of his first visit to Flint, where a water crisis led to toxic water supply in the city. CNN reported that the GOP nominee also visited the city's water plant. Earlier in the year, as the crisis became widely discussed, Trump said he should not comment on the situation.

"Well it's a shame what's happening in Flint, Michigan. A thing like that shouldn't happen, but again I don't want to comment on that. They've got a very difficult problem," he said at the time.

According to Politico, Trump managed to squeeze his visit to Flint between a taping of the Dr Oz show in Manhattan and a campaign rally in Canton, Ohio in the evening.