Donald Trump charged Thursday that the Republican presidential nominating process is a “crooked system” because of how Colorado picked its delegates to the national convention.
Colorado Republicans eliminated the presidential poll in their caucus in August 2015, as new RNC rules forbade polls that had no effect on where the state’s unbound delegates go. Trump began complaining after the state’s convention selected its delegates to the national convention, and a majority went for Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.
In an interview that aired on Fox News Thursday morning, Trump blasted Colorado Republicans but insisted he’s not at war with the Republican Party.
“I’m not at war, but I want to really make it a process where votes count,” Trump said. “Right now in Colorado, they took the voters away. You know there are riots going on out there. And you look at what’s happening in Pennsylvania, they’re taking the voters out of it and it’s very unfair. And I rely on the voters not on politicians.”
When asked if he had a message to his supporters who are threatening violence, Trump dodged the question.
“Well, they’re having really big problems in Colorado,” Trump replied. “They went, they saw that I joined the race, and after I joined the race they said let’s change it.”
The chairman of the Colorado Republican Party has said he has fielded death threats because of some voters’ anger that many of the state’s delegates went to Cruz. Similar problems are happening elsewhere, including in Indiana, where state police are reportedly investigating threats against Indiana delegates who are critical of Trump.
Trump is campaigning in New York on Thursday, where he has a nearly 32 percentage point lead in RealClearPolitics’ average of polls. The Empire State’s Republican Primary will take place on April 19.
