'Well This Is Awkward': Trump Tells Pittsburgh Audience That U.S. Is Building Wall In Colorado, Which Doesn't Border Mexico
By Kevin Liptak and Caroline Kelly, CNN
(CNN) -- During a speech on American energy in Pittsburgh on Wednesday, President Donald Trump ticked through his usual issues before making an unusual remark about his long-promised border wall.
"We're building a wall on the border of New Mexico. And we're building a wall in Colorado," Trump said.
Colorado, located directly north of New Mexico, is not on the US-Mexico border.
Trump went on to say the wall would be "a big one that really works -- you can't get over, you can't get under."
"We're building a wall in Texas," he said. "And we're not building a wall in Kansas, but they get the benefit of the walls that we just mentioned."
Democratic Colorado Gov. Jared Polis tweaked Trump over the remarks on Twitter.
"Well this is awkward ...Colorado doesn't border Mexico," Polis wrote. "Good thing Colorado now offers free full day kindergarten so our kids can learn basic geography."
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The President later tweeted that he was joking and playing to the audience.
"(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!" Trump tweeted overnight.
(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!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 24, 2019
Last week, the Republican-controlled Senate failed to overturn the national emergency declaration the President has used to pay for a wall on the US-Mexico border, a signature 2016 campaign promise. The Pentagon moved in September to divert $3.6 billion of military construction funding from 127 projects around the world to pay for 11 wall projects on the US southern border -- a move that elicited anger from several lawmakers.
Trump announced the national emergency in February after failing to persuade Congress to appropriate additional funding for the wall. Congress then rejected it and Trump responded with his first veto. By law, Congress can try to block the declaration every six months but has failed so far to override the President's decree.
This story has been updated.
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