'Utterly absurd': Experts alarmed over Trump 'admitting' big change driven by retribution

During a Tuesday press conference, President Donald Trump said he was moving U.S. Space Command from Colorado Springs, Colorado to Huntsville, Alabama. But the president's stated reason for the change has multiple journalists and commentators sounding the alarm.

While speaking at the Oval Office — his first public appearance in nearly a week — Trump told reporters several times that he decided to relocate U.S. Space Command to the Yellowhammer State because he was angry with how Colorado (a Democratic stronghold) conducts its elections.

"The problem I have with Colorado, they do mail in voting," Trump said. "They went to all mail-in voting, so they have automatically crooked elections. And we can't have that."

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Trump's statement prompted both concern and mockery among political experts. University of Virginia Center for Politics Director Larry Sabato called the move "utterly absurd but right in character for Dear Leader." In a separate post, he sarcastically called the announcement that a major military installation was being relocated "completely coincidental" and not due to "petty partisan politics."

Others opined that Trump's stated reason for the move didn't make sense, with New York Sun correspondent Matt Rice observing that "Alabama also has mail-in voting." Bloomberg Opinion senior executive editor Tim O'Brien also made that point, while adding a sarcastic emoji. Podcast host Brian Allen emphasized that Trump was "admitting to using military assets for political payback." Florida International University political scientist Carlos Rodríguez López tweeted: "This is political retribution and corruption. It has nothing to do with national security." And Michigan-based Army veteran Bruce Crossing pointed out that deep-red Utah should be next in line for retribution, given that it conducts all of its elections by mail.

"What on earth does mail in voting have to do with the location of a military facility?" Boxing announcer Al Bernstein wrote. "He is basically admitting he is spending millions to move this facility for no other reason than politics."

"Translation: I’m wasting millions in taxpayer money and punishing Colorado because they didn’t vote for me," the X account Republicans Against Trump wrote.

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Watch the video of Trump's remarks below, or by clicking this link.