In the critical bellwether of Jefferson County, the Trump campaign has put its trust in co-chair Weston Imer to win over voters in the ‘tipping point state’

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

The 2016 presidential race could easily be decided in Colorado’s Jefferson County. The suburbs west of Denver have long been considered a political bellwether for any candidate seeking election to the White House.

Yet that does not appear to have discouraged Donald Trump’s campaign entrusting its outreach in the critical county to a 12-year-old.

Weston Imer, co-chair of Republican nominee’s campaign in Jefferson County, dismissed the suggestion that his age should be an impediment.



“I know what I’m doing,” he said. “I’ve been in politics since I was very young. I’m good friends with all of the candidates here in Colorado … I’m friends with pretty much everyone in the whole darn county and state.”

“The people from the Trump campaign, they trust me, they think I will do what needs to be done here in Jefferson County.”

The people from the Trump campaign, they trust me, they think I will do what needs to be done here in Jefferson County Weston Imer

He added: “It’s a great honor. It’s a once in a lifetime experience to be able to run a campaign at this young of an age, because we’ll never be at this age again.”

Weston shot to notoriety last month after his role in the campaign’s Jefferson branch made national headlines.

Some of those reports overstated the clout of the 12-year-old, skirting the fact that he was, in fact, sharing the volunteer role with his mother, Laurel Imer. Fearing a distraction, the Trump campaign has since put a halt on interviews with its youngest political operative, who has not spoken publicly since.

Colorado is the state that fomented the so-called “Never Trump” movement among Republicans disaffected with their nominee – and his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, had been enjoying a formidable double-digit lead there.



Just a few weeks ago there were reports that the Clinton campaign had shelved spending in the state, assuming the state was all but won. But the polls since then have narrowed dramatically, and the candidates now find themselves neck-and-neck in the crucial swing state.

Election forecaster Nate Silver has declared Colorado “the tipping point state”; as Colorado’s perennial bellwether, Jefferson is once again in the spotlight.

“If Donald does not win in Jefferson County, he stands a very strong chance of not winning in Colorado,” Weston said in an interview for the Guardian’s Anywhere But Washington series of election videos.

“We need Trump supporters to come out, and be out of the closet, and tell everyone that you support Mr Trump.”



That’s not always easy. Weston said he had suffered some personal repercussions for supporting the controversial GOP nominee.

“Even before I was the co-chair, kids were bullying me. Especially the Ted Cruz supporters and their parents,” he said. “So did the Hillary Clinton supporters, and so did the Bernie Sanders supporters.”

“I’ve also had kids say that they’re leaving the country if he gets elected to the presidency,” he added. “I told them that they were overreacting, and that their parents were as well.”

The 12-year-old is also the founder of Colorado Kids for Trump, a group he said he created to support schoolchildren facing similar consequences as a result of their support for the nominee. “If you get bullied at school, contact me, and I will draft a formal letter to your school,” he said.



Trump’s political operation might have worried it was taking a risk by making a 12-year-old a de facto spokesman in such a pivotal swing county.

The Republican nominee has repeatedly been tarnished by supporters and surrogates who have made remarks considered inappropriate, even by his standards. Earlier this month, Marco Gutierrez, the Mexican-born founder of Latinos for Trump, prompted ridicule after warning that if Trump failed to reach the White House there would be “taco trucks on every corner”.

Last week, Kathy Miller, an Ohio county chair, was forced to resign after her remarks about race in an interview with Anywhere But Washington went viral.

I like that he doesn’t speak in politically correct terms, I like that he speaks his mind Weston Imer

However, if Trump’s political operatives took a risk putting a 12-year-old in the spotlight, it appears to have paid off. He has shown the discipline and restraint of a seasoned political spokesman, adhering to the Trump campaign’s talking points while lampooning the Republican’s political rival.

“I like that he doesn’t speak in politically correct terms, I like that he speaks his mind, I also like his immigration plans and his plans about the refugees coming from overseas, that we need to heavily screen them and put a hold on it until he wipes out Isis,” he said.

“He’s going to make America great again. If we don’t elect him we’re going to have Hillary Rodham Clinton, who is a criminal – a proven one, to be exact – in the presidential office, and if that happens this country will not be here in the first four, or possibly eight years.”

Asked about his political future, Weston, who is also an actor and a singer and said his inspiration is Ronald Reagan, did not miss a beat.

“I’m headed politically to run for the presidency in 2040,” he said. “That’ll be my first eligible year, so I’m ambitious.”