Another city has come forward accusing President-elect Donald Trump of still owing money from campaign rallies, which begs the question: who is going to foot the bill? Officials in Grand Rapids said Trump’s campaign is ignoring more than $49,000 in bills for two rallies hosted there this year.
The city said it has to write off those expenses as uncollectible, which ultimately costs taxpayers.
A city spokesperson said Trump’s campaign was billed nearly $33,000 for his rally in July 2024 and another $16,000 dollars for his November 2024 visit.
Both of those amounts still have not been paid.
The spokesperson added that Trump used a venue downtown. That required more closures and safety measures and resulted in a large amount of overtime for police and public works.
The July event was also the first since the attempted assassination attempt on Trump, which meant it required further heightened security.
Grand Rapids isn’t alone. NBC News reported in October 2024 that the Trump campaign owed more than $750,000 to four other cities and one county, some dating back eight years.
However, it’s not clear whose legal responsibility it is to pay.
A Trump campaign spokesperson told NBC News that questions related to payment for local law enforcement should be directed to the U.S. Secret Service.
A Secret Service spokesperson said it’s the agency, not the campaign, that typically requests local assistance for events. The spokesperson admitted the agency lacks a proper system to reimburse local governments.
Some places, like Nassau County, New York, opt to not bill the campaigns for events at all.
Legislators filed a complaint this year, claiming improper use of taxpayer resources for a presidential campaign.
Trump’s campaign has not commented on the recent accusation from Grand Rapids.
Federal records show that as of late November 2024, Trump’s campaign had nearly $10 million cash left of the $464 million it raised.