As the presidential election nears, former President Donald Trump is blitzing the swing states and holding his signature rallies. However, an investigation by Newsweek found that once those rallies are over and Trump leaves town, there are unpaid bills left behind.
During the weekend of Sept. 28, Trump was in Erie, Pennsylvania, where the mayor’s office is on-record claiming the Trump presidential campaign has unpaid debt that amounts to tens of thousands of dollars from two previous campaign visits.
A spokesman for the mayor’s office said those visits took place in 2018 and 2023, and the city spent $40,330 on public safety costs that have not been settled.
The Newsweek investigation went as far back as 2016 and found that El Paso, Texas; Spokane, Washington; Mesa, Arizona; and Green Bay, Wisconsin, are also seeking money from the Trump campaign. The report indicates the total tab is for more than $700,000.
The Trump campaign referred Newsweek’s questions to the Secret Service.
“State and local law enforcement play a crucial role in our ability to effectively safeguard the former President and other Secret Service protectees,” a spokesman for the Secret Service said. “Currently the U.S. Secret Service lacks a mechanism to reimburse state and local governments for their support during protective events.”
The spokesman also said the agency has made Congress aware of this need.
As for the recent rally in Erie, Pennsylvania, city leaders say they will be seeking payment from the Trump campaign for that visit as well.
