Biden targets Boebert as leader of ‘MAGA movement’ during Colorado tour

President Biden on Wednesday called out Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) during an appearance in her congressional district — marking a rare instance of Biden directly targeting what he often pegs as a “MAGA Republican” by name.

While Biden has spent much of this year traveling to and fundraising in affluent, safe-blue enclaves during domestic travel, his tour of wind tower manufacturer CS Wind in Pueblo, Colo., part of the state’s massive 3rd Congressional District that Boebert represents, gave a potential glimpse into his general election strategy.

It is the type of stop the president is likely to make more frequently as the campaign season heats up in 2024 and as he seeks to contrast himself with the Trump wing of the GOP, particularly when it comes to his economic agenda.

Despite polls indicating Americans are not feeling the impacts of an improving economy, the president has argued his plan, Bidenomics, is working, and the proof is in the low unemployment rate and job creation.

The White House chose the CS Wind plant as an example of one expanding its operations and creating hundreds of jobs as a result of Biden’s signature Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).

Biden on Wednesday called Boebert “one of the leaders of this extreme MAGA movement” and gave himself the sign of the cross when he first mentioned her during the speech, noting she voted against the IRA.

“She called this law a massive failure. Do you all know you’re part of a massive failure? Tell that to the 850 Coloradans who are getting new jobs in Pueblo at CS Winds thanks to this law. Tell that to the local economy who’s going to benefit from these investments. Tell that to anyone who wants to listen,” Biden said.

The president touted the IRA and how it has benefited the economy and the environment through incentives for clean energy. He also boasted about investments in broadband for rural communities and bipartisan legislation signed last year that bolstered investments in domestic semiconductor chip manufacturing. Biden noted Boebert voted against the latter.

Toward the end of the president’s speech, workers from CS Wind joined him on the stage, and Biden put his hand on one of their shoulders.

“There are a quarter of a million more jobs in Colorado since I took office. That’s a quarter of a million more people throughout this state — including in this district — who can look their kids in the eye and say, ‘Honey, it’s going to be OK,’” Biden said. “When we invest in our people and we strengthen the middle class, we see stronger economic growth for all Americans.”

Biden was set to visit Pueblo in October, but the trip was postponed in the aftermath of the Hamas attacks against Israel. The originally planned visit came on the heels of Biden mocking Boebert in August when highlighting that CS Wind was constructing a plant in her district.

“Like in Colorado, where CS Wind broke ground on what will be the world’s largest wind tower manufacturing plant. And coincidentally, CS Wind is Congresswoman Lauren Boebert — you know, the very quiet Republican lady — it’s in her district,” Biden said.

Biden added that Boebert, “along with every other Republican, voted against this bill — and it’s making all this possible. And she railed against its passage. But, that’s OK, she’s welcoming it now.”

Boebert is one of several GOP members Biden has mocked for touting new projects in their districts after they voted against the legislation that provided federal funding for them. 

The second-term congresswoman is one of the most high-profile and controversial members of the House Republican Conference, and she is a widely outspoken critic of Biden. She shouted out during Biden’s 2022 State of the Union address to criticize the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, and she filed articles of impeachment against the president in June.

The congresswoman was at the center of controversy in September after being escorted out of “Beetlejuice: The Musical” in Denver after complaints she and another attendee were vaping and disturbing the production.

Boebert is likely to be a top target for Democrats in the 2024 elections given she narrowly won her seat in 2022. Boebert defeated Democrat Adam Frisch by fewer than 600 votes last November in one of the most surprising results of the midterms. Frisch has already announced he is challenging Boebert again next fall.

Biden made a point to talk about Boebert in remarks to high-dollar donors the night before his visit to CS Wind, while he was touting the IRA.

“[She] vowed to repeal it. And she voted to repeal it, and she called it a massive failure. It’s in her district. She called it a massive failure,” the president said Tuesday at a fundraiser just south of Denver.