Donald Trump Claims Mexican Border Wall Will Go Through Colorado, Confusing Onlookers

President Donald Trump confused many of his constituents Wednesday afternoon after he seemingly counted Colorado as a border state against Mexico while discussing building a border wall. The 73-year-old former reality star turned president, was speaking in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, at the Shale Insight Conference when he made the comments to an audience of mostly blue-collar workers from Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia.

“You know why were’ going to win New Mexico? Because they want safety on their border. And they didn’t have it. And we’re building a wall on the border of New Mexico. And we’re building a wall in Colorado,” Trump said. “We’re building a beautiful wall, a big one that really works — you can’t get over, you can’t get under. And we’re building a wall in Texas. And we’re not building a wall in Kansas, but they get the benefit of the walls that we just mentioned. And Louisiana’s incredible.”

Work crews in South Texas are laying steel along the U.S.-Mexico border in preparation for the installation of new segments of border wall. There are no reports of plans to build the border wall in Colorado.

The Washington Post reports that “some in the crowd started to laugh. Others shook their heads and exchanged looks.”

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis slammed the President on Twitter later in the evening. “Well this is awkward …Colorado doesn’t border Mexico. Good thing Colorado now offers free full day kindergarten so our kids can learn basic geography,” he wrote.

Democratic Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet responded on Twitter with a zing of his own: “Let me repeat: There isn’t an elected leader from the state of Colorado who would support using eminent domain to steal the property of our farmers and ranchers to build a medieval wall.”

By late Wednesday, the gaffe was a trending moment on Twitter, with some even sharing fake maps of the southern border with mock-ups of Trump’s version of geography.

“Ummm, Colorado? Is Wyoming invading?” one Twitter user wrote.

“Is that to keep out the Nebraskans or those pesky folks from Wyoming?” another asked.

“We’re building a wall in Colorado? Does Colorado know?” someone else cracked.

Late Wednesday night, Trump attempted to explain his comment, claiming that he was joking and said it “kiddingly.”

“(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 (sic) to people in the very packed auditorium, from Colorado & Kansas, getting the benefit of the Border Wall!” he tweeted in the early hours of Friday.