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Hickenlooper Urges Coloradans To Be Open-Minded About Trump

By Shaun Boyd

DENVER (CBS4) - Gov. John Hickenlooper is talking about the Trump administration for the first time since the president's inauguration.

"There is a sense that it's one thing after another after another after another that are so unorthodox and so startling in a way," Hickenlooper said.

But the governor urged Coloradans to be open-minded.

"We owe him the benefit of the doubt. He is the president of the United States," he said.

John Hickenlooper
Gov. John Hickenlooper on Wednesday (credit: CBS)

In the same breath, the governor admitted Trump wasn't making it easy.

"The apparent disregard for the truth and facts ... the really accelerated pace by which decisions are being made by a very small number people. We've had appointments to higher office of people that generally don't have any experience in those fields. It's almost like the president and his senior staff are trying to be disruptive, are trying to stir things up."

Hickenlooper says he's worried people will become desensitized by the level of provocation.

"We're going to try and do everything we can to make America and to make Colorado successful, but we're not going to compromise our basic values."

Donald Trump
President Donald Trump (credit: CBS)

The governor condemned Trump's ban on immigrants from certain countries and is concerned about the president's rhetoric around Mexico, which is Colorado's number two export market, but he supports one executive order -- to expedite environmental reviews on infrastructure projects like Interstate 25 and I-70.

"We are right now putting together the proposals. I do want to make sure that we look at every aspect of the impact to the environment of any of the projects we do, but historically those reviews have been sequential, so they take a great deal of time and add a great deal of expense to public infrastructure."

In the end, Hickenlooper says it's not just the policies of the new administration that could impact Colorado.

"We've got some really difficult issues to find common ground on in the state of Colorado and having the model in Washington be so divisive is not going to help."

Shaun Boyd is CBS4's political specialist. She's a veteran reporter with more than 25 years of experience. Follow her on Twitter @cbs4shaun.

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