*He referred to it as a “stunt,” but President Obama drank filtered water from Flint, Michigan today during his trip there to discuss the ongoing water crisis.
As previously reported, Governor Rick Snyder had called on POTUS to drink the filtered water to assure Flint residents that it’s safe to consume. Obama called it as a “stunt” before knocking it back.
“Generally I have not been doing stunts here,” the president said. “This used a filter. You know, the water around this table was Flint water that was filtered and it just confirms what we know scientifically, which is that if you’re using a filter, if you’re installing it, then Flint water at this point is drinkable.
“As a short-term measure, this is the right thing to do, and frankly it’s going to be a lot more convenient than people traveling long distances to try to lug back a bunch of bottled water,” he added.
POTUS was speaking as he met with federal officials at the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan to receive a briefing on the federal response to the crisis.
Watch him take the sip below:
Obama still made it clear there’s still work that needs to be done in the interim.
Obama sipped another glass of filtered water at a separate event attended by Flint citizens. He told the crowd he will make sure leaders at all levels of government “don’t rest” until every drop of water that flows through city pipes is safe.
He says clean water is a basic responsibility of government in the U.S. and says what happened in Flint was a manmade disaster that didn’t have to happen.
Obama also says he understands why they are scared and angry and feeling let down.
Watch below:
Flint’s water became contaminated with lead after the city began drawing water from the Flint River and officials failed to treat it properly, causing a lead-contamination crisis.
We Publish News 24/7. Don’t Miss A Story. Click HERE to SUBSCRIBE to Our Newsletter Now!
