No clear plans for Trump visit to Aurora as JD Vance hosts fundraiser

In mid-September, former President Donald Trump said he planned to visit Aurora “in the next couple of weeks” as he stoked a national storm over immigration and an alleged take control of the city by a Venezuelan gang.

As of Monday — 12 days after those comments about the rally — there appeared to be no plans in the works for the Republican presidential nominee to visit Colorado’s third-largest city. The only Trump event lined up is a campaign fundraiser in Denver next week, which will feature Ohio Sen. JD Vance, Trump’s running mate.

When contacted by email, a Trump campaign spokesperson would not comment on the record on the possibility of an Aurora event for Trump. City of Aurora spokesman Ryan Luby said Monday that the city has not heard from the Trump campaign about a possible visit.

Steve Peck, chairman of the Douglas County Republican Party, wrote in a text message that he had “received no communication that the Trump campaign would be coming to Aurora,” although he said party officials from the State could know more. Dave Williams, chairman of the Colorado Republican Party and a Trump supporter, did not respond to a message seeking comment.

A message left with the Arapahoe County GOP was also not returned Monday afternoon.

Trump expressed his apparent desire to visit Aurora after inaccurately describing the immigration and gang situation in the city, including during a prime-time debate earlier in September. The city has attracted national attention in recent weeks as several dilapidated apartment buildings were taken over by Venezuelan gang members. At times, Trump claimed the entire city of 400,000 people had been taken.

City leaders said the gang’s presence was limited – and most identified members were arrested – but they said some properties were “significantly affected” by the gang’s activities.

The properties, owned by CBZ Management, have also been the subject of several years of tenant complaints and investigations by city inspectors into their condition. These complaints and inspections predate the gang reports, and tenants have placed much of the blame on CBZ landlords.

Trump’s assertion at his September 18 rally in Uniondale, New York, that he would travel to Aurora — as well as Springfield, Ohio, which was the subject of his own anti-immigration conspiracy theories — sparked criticism from a certain number of elected officials. in Colorado City.

Several signed an opinion piece in the Denver Post accusing Trump of coming to Aurora to spread “horrible invective and continued lies.” Mike Coffman, Aurora’s Republican mayor, previously told the Post that he was happy to tell Trump that the more exaggerated narrative of the gang takeover “is false.”