Former President Donald Trump has yet again skipped the bill for a campaign rally, leaving the town that hosted it to foot the cost — this time the college town of St. Cloud, Minnesota.
According to the Minnesota Star Tribune, an invoice sent to the Trump campaign on September 10 "breaks down the costs borne by the city that went above and beyond typical services: about $63,000 for police costs, $62,000 for costs related to a change in a construction project near campus, $60,500 for public services, $21,000 for Fire Department costs and about $2,000 for IT-related costs."
The rally in question was held at Herb Brooks National Hockey Center, where a capacity crowd of 8,000 packed in and overflow watched on TV screens around the area. Police and city vehicles had to be commandeered to direct local traffic and block off roads, at great taxpayer expense.
So far, the Trump campaign has not responded to requests for comment. But it is far from the first time his campaign has reportedly stiffed the communities where he holds rallies.
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A report from earlier this month detailed how Trump owes upwards of $750,000 to at least four cities that were stuck with similar expenses. Way back in August, Montana cities were left with a $50,000 bill for the former president's appearance at a fieldhouse at Montana State University.
Sometimes these unpaid costs have created a legal headache for the cities themselves; last month, Democrats from Long Island filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission against the Trump campaign and local Republicans, arguing that the big, unpaid police expenses for his rally in the area amounted to an illegal in-kind campaign contribution.
Nor is it only the local municipal governments who can be shortchanged by Trump rallies; sometimes the rallygoers themselves get ripped off. When Trump spoke at Coachella last month, he only provided buses for his supporters one way, leaving them stranded in the Southern California desert a two-hour walk from their original parking area.
