DENVER – President Trump said Wednesday that “we’re building a wall in Colorado” as he talked about border security and segments of the border barrier being constructed in New Mexico while speaking at an energy summit in Pittsburgh.
“You know why we’re going to win New Mexico? Because they want safety on their border, and they didn’t have it. And we’re building a wall on the border of New Mexico. And we’re building a wall in Colorado. We’re building a beautiful wall – a big one that really works, that you can’t get over, you can’t get under,” Trump said while speaking at the Shale Insight conference Wednesday afternoon.
“And we’re building a wall in Texas. And we’re not building a wall in Kansas, but they get the benefit of the walls that we just mentioned,” Trump added.
It was not immediately clear what the president was talking about. A White House adviser referred Denver7 to the Department of Homeland Security, which did not immediately respond to a request for clarification on the president’s comments.
Trump later on Wednesday claimed on Twitter he was "kidding."
"(Kiddingly) We’re building a Wall in Colorado”(then stated, “we’re not building a Wall in Kansas but they get the benefit of the Wall we’re building on the Border”) refered to people in the very packed auditorium, from Colorado & Kansas, getting the benefit of the Border Wall!" the president tweeted.
Trump said something similar in January, when he mentioned a non-existent border wall in San Antonio, Texas.
The Trump administration is using $8 million in military construction funds from a Peterson Air Force Base project for the border wall.
Several Colorado Democrats jumped on the president’s statement.
“Well this is awkward ...Colorado doesn’t border Mexico. Good thing Colorado now offers free full day kindergarten so our kids can learn basic geography,” Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said in a tweet.
Former Colorado Gov. and Senate candidate John Hickenlooper made light of the president’s comments by asking New Mexico’s senators if they wanted to “break it” to Trump.
“Hey @TeamHeinrich & @tomudall do one of you want to break it to @realDonaldTrump that Colorado’s border is with New Mexico, not Mexico…or should I?” he tweeted.
“Is NEW Mexico gonna pay for it?” tweeted Rep. Diana DeGette.
Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., tweeted a map with a new border sketched in with a Sharpie at Colorado’s southern border.
Colorado is bordered by Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Utah. The southern border of Colorado is about 360 miles from the U.S-Mexico border.
