Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) on Sunday defended Aurora as a diverse, growing city with declining violent crime, following former President Trump's personal attacks on the city and the governor at a rally on Saturday.
In an interview on CBS News' “Face the Nation,” host Margaret Brennan noted that the Trump campaign has frequently pointed to Aurora as an example of the worst of the migrant crisis, and he again attacked the city and the governor at Saturday's rally.
“Under Border Patrol Officer Harris, a Venezuelan gang took over an entire apartment building in Aurora, Colorado,” Trump said at a rally on Saturday, according to a video Brennan played of the interview.
“The governor of Colorado is scared,” Trump continued, referring to Polis. “He's a liberal governor, but he doesn't know what to do. The governor is very scared of these people, and you can't probably blame him.”
Mayor Polis did not address the personal criticism but defended the city over the video, saying he went shopping on Saturday.
“What most Americans should know is Aurora is over 400,000 people, it's the third largest city in Colorado. Violent crime has been down for two years in a row. Auto theft has been down for two years in a row. It's a great city. I'm there all the time. Aurora is a really great, diverse city, and it's growing fast. It's probably going to be the No. 1 or No. 2 city in Colorado in the next 10 or 20 years,” Polis said. “It's safer than it was before.”
The mayor acknowledged that the city has had a “gang problem” in the past but said the situation is improving.
“It's no different than any other city – Chicago, Los Angeles, any mid-size city, Denver. Of course, Aurora has had gang problems for decades, but I feel like things are finally getting better,” he said.
