Why Donald Trump is campaigning in Colorado, a state he can't win
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Former President Trump listens during a town hall-style campaign event Oct. 4 in North Carolina. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images
Former President Trump is campaigning Friday in Colorado not because he thinks he can win the state, but because he wants another backdrop for his apocalyptic tale of an America overrun by undocumented immigrants.
Why it matters: In the final month of the race, Trump is veering from traditional battlegrounds to visit a state he lost twice and one where he barely has a campaign presence.
State of play: The visit to Aurora, one of the nation's most diverse cities, will focus on his misleading and false attacks on immigrants — what Trump and his campaign see as an effective strategy to blame immigration and border security problems on Vice President Kamala Harris.
- Trump pledged to visit the state's third-largest city weeks ago as false statements swirled about a violent Venezuelan gang "taking over the town."
- And he promised the largest deportation in U.S. history would start in Colorado.
Reality check: Aurora officials say the gang activity there was dramatically exaggerated and involved roughly a dozen people, most of whom were arrested.
- "TdA [Tren de Aragua] has not 'taken over' the city. The overstated claims fueled by social media and through select news organizations are simply not true," Mayor Mike Coffman and City Council Member Danielle Jurinsky, both Republicans, wrote in a joint statement.
Context: Colorado is no longer a presidential battleground state, but Trump competed for Colorado's electoral votes in 2016 with 10 rallies and six visits. He lost the state by 4.9 percentage points.
- He campaigned in Colorado only once in 2020 — and lost to President Biden by 13.5 percentage points.
- Trump appeared ready to abandon the state altogether until the Aurora story landed on his radar. His visit coincides with the first day ballots can be mailed to voters.
The other side: Harris holds a double-digit average lead against Trump in Colorado, polls show, but the Democrat is not taking it for granted.
- The campaign opened seven offices with 28 full-time staffers on the ground, officials said.
- More than 11,500 supporters have signed up to volunteer since late July.
Between the lines: Much of the Democratic effort is designed to win down-ballot races in close contests, such as the 8th and 3rd congressional districts, and boost local ballot measures, such as the one enshrining the right to an abortion in the state constitution.
What they're saying: "I think it 's going to have a big difference," U.S. Rep. Jason Crow (D-Aurora) said in an interview. "The top of the ticket is generating enthusiasm and there's a lot at stake in this election."