Trump campaign won’t pay $49,000 in bills for Grand Rapids rallies
Trump campaign won’t pay $49,000 in bills for Grand Rapids rallies | WOODTV.com
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The city of Grand Rapids says the Donald J. Trump for President 2024 campaign has refused to pay more than $49,000 in bills for two rallies in the city this year.
That is forcing the city to write off those expenses as uncollectable and to reevaluate policies for future campaign visits.
The unpaid invoices are for two rallies that drew thousands into the city, both at the Van Andel Arena.
Grand Rapids billed Trump’s campaign nearly $33,000 for his rally in July — the biggest chunks for overtime for police and its public works department.
The bill was due in October and went unpaid.
“It’s highly unusual to have outstanding bills, especially with someone who clearly had raised enough money from their campaign to pay their bills,” said outgoing Grand Rapids Mayor Rosalynn Bliss.
Federal records show that as of late November, Trump’s campaign had nearly $10 million cash on hand of the $464 million it raised.
The city of Grand Rapids billed the Trump campaign more than $16,000 for his visit on Nov. 4 , his last rally of the campaign. Most was for overtime for public works.
That also went unpaid.
Then, there was Vice President Kamala Harris’s rally in October at Riverside Park in Grand Rapids.
City officials said her campaign paid that $2,800 tab up front.
When asked why Harris’ bill was so much less than Trump’s bills, a city spokesman said Trump’s rallies required far more protection, in part because of the location.
“The Trump campaign utilized a venue in a downtown district requiring more road closures and associated safety measures, driving costs,” the city spokesman said in an email to Target 8. “It was also the first event the President-Elect held following the assassination attempt, requiring heightened security.
“The Harris campaign event required the same level of security, but utilized a city park with ample green space, requiring a limited number of road closures and associated safety measures,” he wrote.
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