Nearly five years ago, former President Donald Trump skipped out on a more than $35,000 bill in Erie, Pa., according to the Erie Times-News.
Trump, who is again a presidential candidate, is headed back to Erie Saturday. There, Mayor Joe Schember is planning to finally get that money.
“I think we have to try, and I feel like my team feels the same way,” Schember said, according to the Times-News. “We’re going to see whether we can get some payment from them in advance this time. It’s important to do this because we’re talking about taxpayer money being used to help make his visit more safe.”
During the Oct. 10, 2018 “Make America Great Again” rally at Erie Insurance Arena, city employees – including police officers – had to work overtime hours. This overtime pay makes up the bulk of Trump’s unpaid bill, the Times-News reported. At the time, the city made a formal request for $35,129 from his campaign committee in addition to the $17,500 to rent Erie Insurance Arena.
“However, the city received nothing from the Trump campaign, despite the committee, at that time, reporting more than $35.4 million on hand, according to Federal Election Commission filings,” said the Times-News, which noted that the rental fee was paid.
Still, the outlet said that dozens of cities have also been left with unpaid fees. As of this year, FEC filings show that Donald J. Trump for President 2024, Inc. has about $22.5 million on hand.
“Trump has been able to bring in millions of dollars for his campaign,” Schember said. “He should be able to easily pay these costs to cities.”
On the other hand, some have argued that cities should be responsible for providing security. Others have also said that Trump’s visits help local economies. It is true that big name appearances can give local economies a boost, such as Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour.
CBS News reported in 2019 that politicians on both sides of the aisle have been late paying fee requests from municipalities, including Vice President Kamala Harris. Furthermore, it said the Federal Elections Commission doesn’t require candidates to pay for police protection.
As of 2019, Trump had “left a trail of unpaid bills totaling $871,000 in at least 12 cities,” said the report, citing the Center for Public Integrity. Since then, he has also been found liable of sexual abuse by a jury and has been indicted twice.
He’s expected in Erie at 6 p.m. Saturday. Schember said city officials, including police, are working on logistics and staffing for the event, per the Times-News.
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