Today, former President Donald Trump hit the campaign trail
in Aurora, Colorado. It's a suburb if you
don't know it just outside of Denver, a large
city in its own right gained national attention in August
when a video surfaced of men carrying guns through an
apartment building in Aurora. Trump claims that Venezuelan gangs
are taking over there. The local officials have said
that is not true at all. Trump capitalized on
that false claim during his rally in Colorado, which
was visited by hundreds and hundreds thousands really supporters of
Trump on the ground in Aurora this afternoon. And
Trump promised to deport members of a Venezuelan gang.
National correspondent Dan Grossman is live in Aurora for us
on this Friday night, Dan, this is a
home game for you. You, you live in
Colorado, you've seen what Aurora has endured over this
past several weeks with a lot of misinformation coming out
of the Trump fans camp. What can you report
for us on this Friday? Yes, Joe.
During the 1st 20 minutes of his speech, Trump
talked about those claims of a Venezuelan gang taking over
that apartment complex right here in Aurora, Colorado even
playing about a five minute clip that played news clippings
and really spoke about that issue that you said were
unfounded. Claims Aurora police spokesperson telling us here at
Scripps is that it was a quote overblown situation.
Now, with that said Colorado has leaned blue ever
since 2004. Last time it voted red was during
George Ws re election campaign in 2004. And Joe
, I know you spent a lot of time in
Colorado as well. So you know about its politics
, even though the front range, which is right
where Denver is typically votes. Blue Aurora is part
of Colorado's sixth national district which has been a bastion
of Republican presence here. One of the many reasons
why Trump decided to come here with only weeks ago
until November's election. He harped on border policy.
That was clearly his main issue today. One woman
we spoke with who came from Republican Weld County about
an hour north of here in Aurora said this was
the very reason that she came all this way to
see Mr Trump speak as well. I come from
a family that my mother was in another country.
Married, came here, had to go through the
immigration process, learn the language and it took her
five years and she became a US citizen and to
just scoot across the border and get all the same
privileges that we've worked our lives for. I think
they need to tighten up on that. So George
, you know, we've spoken about key seven of
them states that are potential swing states in November's election
. Colorado used to be lumped in that list a
few decades ago. Now it is considered light blue
. But when you really look at the demographic here
, the Trump campaign feels like they do have a
good shot. They said several times today that they
could turn this state red whether that happens or not
remains to be seen. But when you go to
the eastern plains or the western slope, both very
concrete, concrete rather Republican presence is there. So
the Trump campaign feeling like they have some momentum here
in Colorado. Well, and I think a lot
of people if you, if you don't know the
politics of Colorado, well, you have Boulder,
you have Denver, you have, you have Colorado
Springs, you have that corridor and that is very
blue. That's where a good chunk of the population
lives. But once you get on the, out
on those eastern plains, I mean, it looks
like Kansas, it's Nebraska that, I mean,
it is, it is definitely very different politically.
Um, Dan real quick before I let you go
25 days away from election day. What do we
know the next 3.5 weeks look like for former president
Trump after he leaves Colorado, he seems to be
doing some unique campaigning at the very least. Yeah
, he really is. He's going to five states
. Four of them are swing states in this election
. First up is Reno tomorrow. Then he goes
to Coachella, then he goes down to Arizona before
going back to the East coast and hitting P A
as well as Georgia. Both of those of which
are swing states. So Joe, as you know
, any presidential campaign hitting the ground hard, especially
in the states where they feel like they want to
get that in between populists who really will decide the
election in just a few weeks. Dan Grossman based
in Colorado for us here at scripts, news reporting
from Aurora Colorado on this Friday night.