President Barack Obama sipped from a glass filled with Flint filtered water during a visit to the city Wednesday.
Air Force One touched down at Bishop Airport shortly before noon. As he came down the steps from the plane he was met by a group of dignitaries that included Governor Rick Snyder and Flint Mayor Karen Weaver.
Governor Snyder and Mayor Weaver then got into the president's limousine and road with him to a briefing at the Foodbank of Eastern Michigan in Flint. The Foodbank has become a critical hub in the response to the water crisis.
At the meeting, the President spoke for about 15 minutes and ended by drinking from a glass he said contained Flint filtered water.
He said, "If you're using a filter...then Flint water at this point is drinkable. The only exception is pregnant women and children under 6, who should continue to use bottled water out of an abundance of caution."
He then listened to state and local officials in the meeting who have been instrumental in the response to the Flint water crisis.
President Obama said, "I want everybody in the city of Flint to just know you should have your child checked. We now know what to do. We know how to mitigate these effects. We just can't sit back and feel panicked and feel scared."
Once the briefing ended, Mr. Obama traveled to a Flint high school for an afternoon rally.
