Transcript: Colorado Gov. Jared Polis on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan,” Sept. 22, 2024

The following is a transcript of an interview with Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” that aired on Sept. 22, 2024.

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MARGARET BRENNAN: We go now to Colorado Democratic governor Jared Polis, who joins us this morning from Boulder, Colorado. Governor, welcome back to Face The Nation. I know you are supporting–

GOV. JARED POLIS: Pleasure to be here. 

MARGARET BRENNAN: –supporting the Vice President’s bid for the presidency. She is ahead by four points, as you heard in our latest poll, but this is very tight. What is your greatest area of concern, of potential vulnerability here?

GOV. POLIS: Well, yeah, it’s- it’s- it’s neck-and-neck. And you know, I was- I was reflecting this morning. You know, the next president we elect is going to be president during our 250th anniversary as a nation, our semi quincentennial, a term we’re going to be hearing more of. We know that Donald Trump’s not the person that can unite us and bring us together in that exciting time to celebrate our nation’s past, present and future. Let’s give Kamala Harris the opportunity to show that she is, I really feel that she’s ready to unite us. It’s neck-and-neck, and we just need to get the vote out in the states that matter to be able to make sure that we can move forward rather than backward as a country.

MARGARET BRENNAN: I want to ask you about some of her economic plans. But first about immigration. You heard Senator Rubio on this program talk about the lack of attention being paid to immigration and the border crisis, but I know you, governor, have been dealing with it firsthand. In Aurora, Colorado – that’s been getting a lot of attention from the Trump team, in particular because of members of a Venezuelan prison gang who migrated here to the U.S. and apparently were involved in a shooting in Aurora. During the debate, Donald Trump used Aurora as an example of the worst of the migrant crisis. This is what he said yesterday:

DONALD TRUMP SOT: Under border czar Harris, Venezuelan gangs have taken over entire apartment buildings in Aurora, Colorado. The government- the governor is petrified in Colorado. He’s a liberal governor, he doesn’t know what to do. The guy is so scared of these guys, and maybe you can’t blame him.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Governor, I know local officials set up a special task force. But how do you respond to this personal attack here?

GOV. POLIS: Well, I, you know, I went shopping in Aurora yesterday. I- what a lot of Americans need to know is Aurora is a over 400,000 people. It’s Colorado’s third largest city. Violent crime is down two years in a row. Car thefts are down two years in a row. It’s- it’s a wonderful city. I’m there all the time. It’s- it’s really a great, diverse city, and it’s growing fast. It’ll probably be the number one or number two city in Colorado over the next decade or two. So it’s a great city. It’s safer than it’s- than it’s been. And look, it’s like any city: Chicago, LA, mid-sized cities, Denver, of course, there’s been an issue with gangs for decades in Aurora, and I feel that we finally turn the corner. I mean, this is the difference between electing a president that skirts the law versus one who’s made a career enforcing the law. I mean, Kamala Harris is somebody who’s- who stared criminal enterprises in the face put criminals behind bars as district attorney, and she’s going to take that same attitude to the White House to make America safer

MARGARET BRENNAN: But, the mayor of Aurora has acknowledged a special task force was established and said they’re working with the federal government, it’s a regional issue. Should- should the Harris campaign be talking about some of these real issues and acknowledging them in a way that might help their campaign, because really the answer is about that failed border bill at the- in Congress. That’s usually what the Harris campaign talks about. Should they acknowledge more of these real issues?

GOV. POLIS: Well, first of all, I think that’s a legitimate and important issue to talk about. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, Democratic and Republican leaders in Congress had a real bill- bill before them to make the needed investments in border security. Look, I’ve been down to the border. I’ve been at border crossings. We need better border security. Kamala Harris will deliver on that, because it’s not a simple proposition. It requires investment, high tech investment, fencing, scanning, more- more Border Patrol agents, which the bill would have funded more Border Patrol agents. So look, I’m confident that Kamala Harris is somebody that will actually solve the border issue, rather than keep it going for purely political reasons and for dividing us. We need somebody who’s going to unite us, and of course, that includes securing our border.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Should she talk about it more?

GOV. POLIS: Well, I look, I mean, I think she talks about it as- as one of the issues. I mean, it’s- we need to make America safer. We need to secure the border. She had a plan to do that. It was blocked by Donald Trump and Republicans. So look, I think it’s a great issue for people to- to run on and talk about, and it’s one the Democrats should have a huge advantage on, because Republicans have failed time and time again to secure our border.

MARGARET BRENNAN: I want to ask about the economic plans here. Vice President Harris has a proposal to tackle housing affordability, and she wants to give a first time homebuyer’s down payment credit of $25,000 in addition to a $10,000 tax credit. I know you see this firsthand, what the crisis looks like in Colorado. Are you concerned that this will fuel demand for homes and just push up prices rather than solving the supply issue?

GOV. POLIS: So that’s not the whole plan, right? That’s one plank of the plan. Her plan is focused on creating over 3 million new homes, reducing bureaucracy and red-tape, making it easier to build homes people can afford. Yes, as part of that, we want people when they can, to be owners instead of renters, so they can build value. This is the opportunity economy she talks about right? Renting a home, a place to live, it’s important. Owning a home, building equity and wealth over time, that’s what Kamala Harris believes in. So of course, 3 million new homes, reducing bureaucracy and paperwork, making it easier to build is part of that, helping transform renters into owners is a key thing we should do to help make America more successful.

MARGARET BRENNAN: So that’s how you would choose to solve it in your state as well. You think this would fix the problem?

GOV. POLIS: Well, again, yeah, you talked about one plank. We’re engaged in very similar reforms here. We’ve allowed now people to build accessory dwelling units, mother-in-law flats, by right. We’re doing additional allowing for multifamily, more inherently affordable housing near transit, the hardest kind of homes to build, not just in Colorado, but this goes in most communities across the country have been those $200,000 – $300,000 starter homes that somebody early in their career might be able to make the down payment and afford. The average home price in the Denver Metro area is now $600,000 and that’s great for those who can afford it, but we need more homes that are available for purchase in that $200,000 – $300,000 range. That’s what we’re focused on in Colorado. We need to help nationally. Whoever saw- you know, this takes mayors, governors, presidents, all working in the same direction towards making housing more affordable, and that’s exactly what Kamala Harris’s plan will do. 

MARGARET BRENNAN: Governor, thank you for your time this morning. We’ll be back in a moment.