As President Donald Trump and his administration continue to trample constitutional norms and deploy military and quasi-military forces in American cities, Colorado needs to wonder just when we will see such attempts in our state.
A central closing argument for Trump came wrapped in lies about Aurora. He said the city resembled a “war zone” completely overrun by murderous migrants, gangs, drug runners and sex-traffickers (a particularly ironic claim giving Trump’s close personal ties to convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein). He did this without any regard for the truth; namely that Aurora is a vibrant city that has actually become safer in recent years despite a few more dangerous locations, a problem that plagues any city of significant size.
At the time I wrote that his followers would not care, they would believe his words “over a mountain of evidence to the contrary.” Filled with fear and hatred, they would be willfully blind and amplify his message. It worked so well, he has reused the playbook in other cities across the county in order to justify abhorrent actions.
Trump called protestors in Los Angeles “animals” and said the city had been “invaded and conquered by a foreign enemy.”
On X (formerly known as Twitter), Trump posted a meme depicting Chicago on fire and dubbed “Chipocalypse Now” with the president posed as Robert Duvall’s depraved character Col. Bill Kilgore. Trump has since exchanged barbs with Illinois Gov. Jeb Pritzker over sending military personnel to the state.
National Guard troops have been ordered to Washington, D.C., by Trump and his allies. Those troops have primarily been engaged in terrifying the local populace, picking up garbage and walking through the city accompanied by “The Imperial March” anthem from Star Wars.
Trump even described Portland with the same language — a “war zone” — as he described Aurora. That despite data showing that violent crime in Portland has dropped precipitously in 2025. Maybe due to advanced age and declining mental acuity, Trump simply picked up his script from the campaign and did not notice the difference? Given his trouble differentiating between the conflict in Armenia and Azerbaijan versus the nonexistent country of Aberbeijan and Albania, it’s a theory that shouldn’t be dismissed out of hand.
Like a 2-year-old rummaging through his toy box, it seems inevitable that Trump must eventually return to Aurora, Denver and the rest of Colorado.
The state did have the temerity to vote for former Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election. That does seem to be the basis for many of his most petulant acts. It certainly seemed to be the unstated basis for stripping Colorado of Space Command and slashing hundreds of millions of dollars in funding from clean energy grants in the state. After all, Trump did promise retribution while on the campaign trail.
So at some point Colorado should expect soldiers walking through our streets.
It would be almost comical to see camouflaged men strolling alongside armored vehicles along Denver’s 16th Street. After three years of construction that made it actually look like a war zone, and a decade of street crime that chased away pedestrians, the renovated mall finally reopened this weekend in an effort to revitalize the area.
And nothing says “revitalized” like soldiers pacing aimlessly through the street.
Of course, Colorado has already been a target for federal agents. Long before helicopters circled an apartment building in Chicago where federal agents were busy zip-tying children, ICE touted raids across the Denver metro area that netted 243 people toward their quotas. Of course, only nine were confirmed gang members. Most lacked a criminal record and were only in the country to make better lives for themselves.
At some point they will return with reinforcements.
For Trump and his allies, sending in the troops no longer means protecting democracy across the globe, but rather pitting armed fighting forces to train against our own citizens. The commander in chief told our country’s top generals, admirals and leaders to use our cities as “training grounds.” Rather than protecting our interests abroad, his administration has chosen to destroy our communities within.
That should not come as a surprise considering that Trump is the first U.S. president to specifically focus on the “enemy within” — a phrase he deploys often. Nominally some vague criminal element, the real enemy for the president has been anyone who dissents from his quest to consolidate power in himself and himself alone. That is why so many of his targets have been in cities and states governed by Democratic officials.
The political leaning of Colorado puts it squarely within his crosshairs. And we should not believe that appeasements, flattery or the presence of many of his own supporters will prove to be long-term protection. While Trump is prone to having his ego stroked, his memory is short and his temper even more so. He will lash out at any perceived slight, real or imaginary. If it hurts those he hates, he does not care if others may be collateral damage.
It is not a question of if, but when for Colorado. So if you see a few soldiers mobilizing outside one of the bases within the state, don’t be shocked.
☀ MORE IN OPINION
Mario Nicolais is an attorney and columnist who writes on law enforcement, the legal system, health care and public policy. Follow him on BlueSky: @MarioNicolais.bsky.social.
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