Showing your ignorance.
Yes, former President Donald Trump has referred to individual states as "blue states" and "red states" in various contexts, particularly during his campaigns and presidency. The terms "red state" and "blue state" are widely used in U.S. politics to denote states that predominantly vote for the Republican Party (red) or the Democratic Party (blue) in presidential and other elections. Trump’s usage of these terms often aligns with this common political shorthand to describe the partisan leanings of states.
For example, during a 2020 press conference, Trump explicitly referenced "blue states" when discussing the COVID-19 pandemic, suggesting that the death toll from the virus was lower if you excluded blue states, implying a partisan divide in how the pandemic was managed or perceived. He stated, “If you take the blue states out, we’re at a level that I don’t think anybody in the world would be at. We’re really at a very low level.” This comment framed blue states as distinct from red states in terms of outcomes or governance.[](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/17/us/politics/trump-america.html)
Additionally, Trump’s rhetoric often highlights divisions between red and blue states when discussing policy, federal funding, or electoral strategy. In 2025, reports noted that Trump’s executive actions, such as targeting blue states like New York, Vermont, and California for their climate policies or threatening to cut federal funds to states with certain social policies, further indicate his use of the red-blue framework to differentiate state-level political alignments.[](https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/28/politics/trump-red-state-social-agenda)[](https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/trump-discriminating-against-blue-states-sets-up-historic-crisis)
Trump’s campaign strategies also reflect this terminology. In the final days of the 2024 presidential campaign, he made a point to visit traditionally blue states like Virginia and New Mexico, with his campaign framing these visits as an attempt to “expand the map” by challenging Democratic strongholds. This suggests he was consciously engaging with the red-blue state paradigm to describe his electoral ambitions.[](https://www.npr.org/2024/11/03/nx-s1-5175599/trump-is-choosing-to-campaign-in-blue-states-will-the-risk-pay-off)
While Trump does not always use the exact phrases "red state" or "blue state" in every speech or statement, his references to states in partisan terms—such as criticizing “Democrat-run cities” or praising states that supported him—implicitly align with the red-blue terminology popularized since the 2000 election. His actions, such as threatening to withhold federal funding from blue states or prioritizing policies that resonate with red states, further demonstrate his acknowledgment of this divide.[](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/17/us/politics/trump-america.html)[](https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/28/politics/trump-red-state-social-agenda)
In summary, Trump has used the terms "blue states" and "red states" directly and indirectly to describe the political landscape, especially when discussing electoral outcomes, policy disputes, or governance differences, as evidenced by his public statements and reported actions.[](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/17/us/politics/trump-america.html)[](https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/trump-discriminating-against-blue-states-sets-up-historic-crisis)[](https://www.npr.org/2024/11/03/nx-s1-5175599/trump-is-choosing-to-campaign-in-blue-states-will-the-risk-pay-off)