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Donald Trump is not ready to bury the hatchet with Colorado.

The presumptive Republican presidential nominee made his debut in the state at the Western Conservative Summit聽only to 聽Colorado鈥檚 caucus as a 鈥渞igged system鈥� that cost him national delegates.

鈥淐olorado is what taught me a lot about politics. I learned a lot,鈥� Trump told more than 2,000 people at the convention center in downtown Denver on Friday. 鈥淏ecause polls came out that I was going to win Colorado 鈥� and I was looking forward to it. And then all of a sudden I didn鈥檛 get the delegates. And I said, 鈥榃hat happened to the vote?鈥� 鈥�

The remarks at the start of his rambling 52-minute speech put the focus toward Trump鈥檚 candidacy just as the party wanted to move forward with a unified vision ahead of the convention at the end of the month.

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin didn鈥檛 help in her speech moments earlier, in which she plotting to upset the billionaire businessman in Cleveland 鈥� led by a handful of Colorado delegates pledged to rival Ted Cruz.

鈥淚 just call them Republicans against Trump, or RAT for short,鈥� she said to big applause. 鈥淎t such a time as this,鈥� she continued, 鈥測ou cannot be lukewarm. We are taking our country back and you are either with us or against us.鈥�

At one point, Trump appeared to absolve the bitterness after 鈥� 鈥淚t抖阴ap all right. It all worked out well. … In the end it doesn鈥檛 matter. Here we are, right?鈥� 鈥� only to repeatedly rehash the primary campaign throughout his off-the-cuff remarks more than a month after capturing the nomination.

Still, Trump predicted a 鈥渢remendous victory鈥� in Colorado this November against Democrat Hillary Clinton, saying the state is 鈥渧ery important state in terms of winning the election.鈥�

鈥淲e do have to win Colorado,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e do have to win Colorado. I will be back a lot, don鈥檛 worry about it. I will be back a lot.鈥�

Trump attended at the home of former Denver Broncos coach Mike Shanahan later in the day. The Republican National Committee and Trump’s campaign also named prominent Colorado businessman and political donor Larry Mizel as the state’s聽fundraising聽chairman.

The summit 鈥� billed as the largest gathering of conservatives outside Washington 鈥� is the first look at Trump for the state鈥檚 Republican voters after he snubbed the state in the primary season.

More than 4,000 are expected at the three-day confab, which is organized by the Centennial Institute think tank housed at Colorado Christian University. But Trump鈥檚 speech included hundreds of empty chairs in a two-thirds full ballroom.

The crowd is not a natural one for Trump, given its reputation for attracting conservative firebrands and evangelicals. On a stage with 59 yellow lights designed to mimic candles, the candidate made a direct appeal to them in his speech.

Trump touted his endorsement from the National Rifle Association and suggested Colorado and the NRA are 鈥渟ynonymous.鈥� And he celebrated his ties to top Christian faith leaders.

The audience gave Trump a polite reception with standing ovations at the beginning and end.

Elsewhere in his speech, the candidate hopscotched between topics with his trademark bluster.

On the economy: 鈥淲e are going to see job loss like you鈥檝e never seen before if I don鈥檛 win.鈥�

On terrorism attacks abroad: 鈥淲hat抖阴ap going on now is unbelievable. … We are going to have strong borders, folks. We are going to have strong borders. We are going to have a wall.鈥�

On the Supreme Court: 鈥淲e are going to appoint Supreme Court justices who you are going to be happy (with). These are justices that will uphold the constitution of the United States.鈥�

On former President Bill Clinton鈥檚 meeting with Attorney General Loretta Lynch: 鈥淚 think that he really opened it up. He opened up a Pandora鈥檚 box and it shows 鈥� what抖阴ap happening with our laws with our government.鈥�

On the Islamic state: 鈥淭he last person they want to see become president of the United States is Donald Trump. They have dreams at night and their dreams are that Hillary Clinton becomes president of our country. Believe me.鈥�

On winning: 鈥淲e are going to win so much that the people of Colorado are going to be sick of winning. … We are going to win, win, win, and we are going to make America great again.鈥�

And himself: 鈥淲e have the right message. I鈥檓 doing a good job as messenger, I will say.鈥�

鈥淗e addressed all the things I hoped he would address,鈥� said Mary Lou Bjorn, president pro tem of the Evergreen Tea Party in Jefferson County. 鈥淎 lot of people complain and say he doesn鈥檛 (have a foreign policy plan), but I think he has a strategy. He just isn鈥檛 showing it.鈥�

Jeff Hunt, the executive director of the Centennial Institute at Colorado Christian College, which sponsors the summit, said he saw a coming together around Trump from the Colorado crowd.

“I thought he did a great job, a lot of fun,” Hunt said. “He was very well-received by the crowd, and our goal of mending fences and getting everyone back in the room together was accomplished.”

Denver鈥檚 Helen Malone said Trump still has work to do to win Colorado, as he vowed to do in his speech.

“I haven’t made up my mind, but I know he’s going to scare off a lot of moderate Republicans, and you can forget about unaffiliated voters,” she said. “He needs to stick a sock in bashing immigrants. That’s poison in a lot of places here.”

Moments before Trump spoke, that drew about 200 people for competing聽rallies outside聽the convention center.

Two men were led away from the scene 鈥� centered on the intersection of 14th and California streets 鈥� in handcuffs after a violent confrontation between the feuding sides.

Law enforcement officers in tactical and riot gear, some armed with batons and what appeared to be a pepper spray device, stormed in to disperse the crowd. There were no apparent injuries.

A group of Colorado Christian University students were among the protesters.聽The students carried signs that said, 鈥淭rump doesn鈥檛 speak for us,鈥� 鈥淟esser of 2 evils is still evil鈥� and 鈥淐CU鈥檚 values trump Trump鈥檚.鈥�

鈥淥n the fundamental Christian level, Donald Trump鈥檚 platform doesn鈥檛 necessarily represent (our values),鈥� said rising sophomore Tyler Traylor.

Staff writers Joey Bunch, Ellis Arnold, Jesse Paul and Elizabeth Hernandez contributed to this report.//