Yes.
Former President Donald Trump’s campaign has outstanding invoices from the cities of Mesa and Tucson for public safety costs related to events held during his 2016 and 2020 campaigns for president. Trump’s campaign is not legally obligated to pay these invoices, and some cities have policies against issuing them.
Mesa spent $64,467.56 providing additional security for a Trump rally at Phoenix-Gateway Mesa Airport in October of 2018, and Tucson spent $81,837.00 in May 2016. Bernie Sanders did not pay Tuscon’s invoice for his 2016 event, either.
Cities would have legal grounds to force payment if the events were held on government property, or if they had required the campaigns to sign contracts or pay upfront. Several cities across the nation have now instituted such practices.
This brief responds to conversations such as this one.
The Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs, or quick-response fact checks, about trending claims relating to Arizona.
Sources
- Center for Public Integrity, Why the Trump campaign won’t pay police bills
- DocumentCloud, City of Mesa Statement
- DocumentCloud, City of Tucson Statement
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The Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting is partnering with Gigafact to produce timely fact briefs, or quick-response fact checks, about trending claims relating to Arizona.
