Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton used a campaign stop in Colorado Wednesday to criticize her Republican opponent Donald Trump for not having more of his name brand products manufactured in the United States.
She also said that, if elected, she’ll launch the biggest infrastructure program since World War II.
Her first stop was Knotty Ties, a Denver company that offered a platform for a double attack on Trump.
Double because first off the company hires refugees to make its products, giving Clinton a chance to criticize Trump’s opposition to refugee resettlement. She said she wished Trump could meet these employees and see what they’re contributing as productive workers.
The venue also bolstered her continuing attack on Trump for not making more of his own products in the US. She actually had a couple of props for her remarks: a custom tie the company made with her logo on it, and a Trump tie with a "Made in China" label.
"I would really like him to explain why he paid Chinese workers to make Trump ties, instead of deciding to make those ties right here in Colorado?" she said.
Clinton is just coming off a bus tour through Midwestern states where she also visited factories and contrasted the products they’re making in the US with Trump-branded goods being made overseas. At her Thursday appearances Clinton announced the debut of a campaign web page mapping out where Trump-branded products are made overseas, as well as factories making similar items in the US.
“I hope more people will start making things in America again,” she said.
"I wish Donald Trump could meet with all of you and see what you are making here," Clinton told the Denver workers. "I really would like him to explain why he paid Chinese workers to make Trump ties... instead of deciding to make those ties right here in Colorado."
"Millions Of New Jobs"
Later, Clinton told the crowd in a packed gym at Adams City High School in Commerce City that her plan to bolster infrastructure projects would create “millions of new jobs.” Clinton has been touting this idea for a stimulus package-like program that would be paid for by higher taxes on the wealthy.
Clinton was introduced at the event by Governor John Hickenlooper, whom she had considered for the vice presidential nod before going with Virginia Senator Tim Kaine. If there are any hard feelings left over from that decision, they weren't evident on stage. Hickenlooper opened with a list of virtues gleaned from a book titled The Cowboy Code of Ethics: What Wall Street Can Learn from the Code of the West, arguing for the ways in which Clinton lives up to that creed, and Donald Trump does not.
"The fourth code is, 'be tough but fair.' Does anybody think Donald Trump has been fair to anyone?" Hickenlooper asked the booing crowd.
When she took the stage, Clinton returned the governor's praise, and continued the attack on her opponent.
"[Hickenlooper] has used his own experience as a small businessman who grew a business and was successful, not to turn his back on what it took, but to try to help more people they need to start those businesses, to grow those businesses," said Clinton. "And what a stark contrast with Donald Trump, who has spent his career stiffing small businesses."
In what might have been a bit of flattery Clinton went on to say that she looks to Colorado for inspiration on how to grow a healthy economy and she singled out RTD and Denver International Airport as successful transit and transportation systems and engines of growth.
"Very importantly, it’s attracting a lot of young people, who want to be able to quickly move from work to home to entertainment and things like this," she said. "We see this happening in lots of places. So when people say to me, we can’t do that in America, I say, what America are you looking at?"
Clinton also blasted Trump for going along with Republicans who want to “take back” public lands in states like Colorado and elsewhere in the West. And she called Trump “unqualified” to be president and “unfit” to be commander in chief of the U.S. military.
Some of Clinton's jabs at her opponent were a bit more subtle. the first thing she noted when she took the stage was that, with the gym at capacity, many of her supporters were having to watch a stream of the rally from an overflow area.
"We're going to have to look for some bigger spaces when we come here to Colorado," Clinton said, "but I do want to say that I actually really like fire marshals."
That was a direct jab at Trump, who mocked the Colorado Springs Fire Marshal several times in his speech there last week, accusing him of partisanship because he wouldn’t let more people in.
Out in Clinton's capacity crowd, supporters were happy and excited. Many emphasized how thrilled they were to have a female candidate in the running for the White House.
"She was my first choice," said Commerce City resident Desiree Matthews. She brought her daughter, a student at Adams City High School, along to the rally there. "She was my first choice when it was Obama so she’s my first choice now. I’m just so glad I get to vote for her now... I’ve been waiting eight years for this."
CPR's John Daley contributed to this report.
