Denver's defiance of Trump peaks at 100 days
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Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios
As President Trump crosses the 100-day mark, Denver is doubling down on defiance.
Why it matters: In just three months, the Trump administration has raided the Denver metro, threatened its schools and universities, tested its courts, pulled federal funding, and rattled its workforce.
- In doing so, it's united much of the Mile High City in opposition — and put an even bigger bullseye on Denver's back.
The latest: On Monday, the Trump administration rescinded $24 million in grants that would have helped the city offset migrant shelter costs, the Denver Post reports.
- Trump also signed an executive order Monday directing federal agencies to document "sanctuary cities" that are not complying with his immigration agenda.
What they're saying: "Our community is under attack" and has already been stripped of at least $40 million in federal grants, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston said Saturday at a Colorado Black Round Table event.
- "No matter what the threats are, we're not going to be bullied or blackmailed out of [our] values," he pledged.
Zoom in: Denver's new district attorney, John Walsh, is emerging as one of Trump's fiercest local foes — particularly on immigration.
- "We need to push back and refuse to cooperate in the illegal actions [the Trump administration] is taking daily," Walsh said at the round table event. "My office will refuse to cooperate."
Denver City Council members are also elevating their voices and calling for more community action:
- "This is not the time to lay low," council member Darrell Watson said at the event. "We gotta get noisier," council member Stacie Gilmore urged.
- "Nobody on council is going to stop speaking the truth," council member Sarah Parady vowed.
- "There might come a point where you think, 'Can we really afford to lose all of our federal funding? Would it maybe be better to just compromise?'" — but "the answer is no," Parady said, "because they will use that leverage over and over again."
The big picture: Denver leaders — bolstered by a Democratic-led statehouse — are erecting a blue wall against Washington.
Yes, but: How tall and sturdy that wall will be, especially under escalating federal pressure over the next 100 days, is a battle that's just getting started.
Go deeper: 5 ways Colorado lawmakers are fighting Trump