Former President Donald Trump’s upcoming Aspen visit to cause slight delays on Highway 82, Colorado State Patrol says

Former President Donald Trump’s Saturday visit to a high-roller campaign fundraising dinner in Aspen will likely cause slight delays on Colorado Highway 82, according to the Colorado State Patrol.

“There will not be any hard closures to Highway 82,” Patrol Captain Jared Rapp said on Thursday. “There will be closures for ingress and egress as the motorcade rolls along.”

Trump’s visit comes amid at least three major events slated to unfold in Aspen on Saturday. To name a few, Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay will give a speech at Aspen Institute, downtown Aspen will be filled with booths for its farmers market, a classic music concert takes place atop Aspen Mountain, while more events are scheduled.

The Trump fundraiser, named the “TRUMP 47 Dinner,” offers various levels of participation, ranging from $25,000 to $500,000 per couple. The highest tier, at $500,000, includes a spot on the Host Committee, a roundtable discussion, a photo opportunity, and VIP dinner seating.

According to Rifle Garfield County Airport Director Brian Condie, it is confirmed that Trump is expected to fly into either the Rifle, Eagle, or Grand Junction airports on Aug. 10.

“Flying into Rifle is one of the options,” Condie said. “Secret Service gives us a block of times, but we have no idea when the aircraft will actually be here or if at all.”

He again emphasized, however, that plans are subject to change at the last second.

“They could schedule a time to fly in but then go somewhere else just to throw everybody off,” he said.

Wherever Trump lands, he will eventually make his way down Highway 82 via motorcade. 

While Rapp indicated that delays should be very short, it was unclear if the impacts to traffic could change once Trump reaches denser traffic near Aspen. But Rapp said that there should be minimal disruption during this time. 

No specific times were given for when Trump will be passing along Highway 82 or entering Aspen, but travelers should plan for potential delays on Saturday.

“Trump’s motorcade will be doing a slow-roll type of thing, very similar to what they do on the interstate,” Rapp said.

Westley Crouch covers the City of Aspen and general reporting for The Aspen Times. He can be reached at 970-384-9124 or wcrouch@aspentimes.com.