Colorado governor, lawmakers say they will "hold Trump accountable" ahead of former president's Aurora rally

Friday will be a busy day in Colorado politics as former President Donald Trump is set to visit the state and hold a campaign rally in Aurora in the early afternoon. 

In response, Vice President Kamala Harris' presidential campaign announced Wednesday that several Democratic leaders will hold a news conference in Aurora a few hours before the former president's rally, and will "hold Trump accountable for spreading misinformation about the Aurora community."

A statement from the Harris campaign said Colorado elected officials including Gov. Jared Polis, Sen. John Hickenlooper and Reps. Jason Crow and Diana DeGuette, who represent the state's 6th and 1st congressional districts, will appear at the event.

Trump first began talking publicly about Aurora in the presidential debate last month, when he claimed a criminal gang from Venezuela was causing widespread chaos in the city.

"[They're] taking over towns, they're taking over buildings," Trump said.

Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman, a Republican, said in a statement this week that "the concerns about Venezuelan gang activity have been grossly exaggerated." 

"The incidents were limited to several apartment complexes in this city of more than 400,000 residents," he said.

Ahead of the former president's Colorado visit, the Trump campaign reiterated the former president's claims that "violent criminals are destroying the safety and security of Aurora's apartment complexes," and criticized the Biden-Harris administration's immigration policy. 

Polis and the other Democratic elected leaders will speak at 9 a.m. Friday in Aurora about how Trump worked to "kill the toughest bipartisan deal to secure the border in decades," according to the Harris campaign, which noted the deal was endorsed by the Border Patrol union.

Trump's rally will be held at 1 p.m. Friday at the Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center.