Trump’s Sierra Vista Visit Looms as Tucson’s $82K Debt from 2016 Rally Lingers

Donald Trump and U.S. Senator JD Vance are set to embark on a campaign trail in Arizona, with rallies planned in Sierra Vista and Glendale. However, this visit brings to light unresolved debts from Trump’s 2016 campaign, which still owes Tucson nearly $82,000 from an event held in March of that year.

The city has essentially written off that balance, along with a separate $44,000 owed by Bernie Sanders’ campaign for public safety costs incurred during a rally at the Tucson Convention Center (TCC). Following these events, Tucson updated its policies, mandating campaigns to prepay security costs when using the TCC.

On Thursday, Trump will rally at Sierra Vista Municipal Airport before attending a second event in Glendale on Friday, organized by Turning Point PAC and Turning Point Action. Notably, Vice President Kamala Harris and Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz were recently seen rallying at the same Glendale venue.

An invoice obtained by the Center for Public Integrity reveals the outstanding bill of $81,837, which covers services for 180 police officers present during Trump’s 2016 rally that attracted approximately 5,000 attendees. Similarly, Sanders’ campaign faced a $44,000 bill for public safety related to a preceding rally.

Despite demands for payment from Tucson’s City Attorney’s Office, both campaigns resisted, citing discrepancies in the facility use agreement. Trump campaign lawyer Donald McGahn insisted that they did not request police presence, alleging the officers were inadequate in managing the protests outside the event.

The rental agreement for the TCC, according to McGahn, included security personnel fees but failed to clarify police costs. Consequently, Tucson’s city authorities opted against pursuing legal action against the campaigns, fearing that potential legal fees could exceed monetary recovery efforts, ultimately burdening taxpayers.

“Legal action could lead to uncertain outcomes, exposing the city to additional costs,” explained city spokesperson Andy Squire. Following these events, a policy change requires all individuals or groups utilizing the TCC to pay public safety costs upfront.

Trump’s subsequent return to Tucson in 2020 saw the campaign bypass the TCC in favor of a rally at Tucson International Airport. No updates are available regarding costs from that October event, as indicated by Tucson Airport Authority spokesperson Austin Wright.

This Thursday’s rally at Sierra Vista is being organized by the Trump campaign in conjunction with the U.S. Secret Service. Meanwhile, the Trump campaign still faces an unresolved $64,467.56 bill from a separate rally held in Mesa in 2018, with city officials affirming they believe reimbursement is warranted, though legally optional.

The situation highlights ongoing challenges between political campaigns and local governmental agencies over funding and responsibility for public safety costs during large-scale events.