Trump’s campaign racks up $750,000 in unpaid bills for police protection at his rallies

Trump may not be legally obligated to cover those costs, but resource-strained cities say they’re owed for ballooning costs of his hours-long events

Cities across the US have tried to chase down money they say Donald Trump’s campaign owes them for providing law enforcement and other public safety measures at his hours-long rallies.

Trump’s campaign has been routinely accused of dodging invoices from local governments for the costs of increased police presence and other expenses that come with hosting large-scale events where crowds begin lining up hours ahead of his remarks, which typically go on for 82 minutes, on average.

In just five cities, that total is at least $750,000, with many of those bills dating back to rallies held while he was running for president in 2016, according to a new review from NBC News.

The largest unpaid invoice comes from El Paso, Texas, where officials have unsuccessfully chased down payments for nearly $570,000 in expenses from Trump’s 2020 campaign. An initial bill for more than $470,000 ballooned with late fees, according to city officials speaking to NBC.

The city even hired a law firm to try to collect.

City officials in Erie, Pennsylvania, where Trump has rallied at least three times within the past six years, say that the campaign has racked up more than $40,000 in rally costs, according to the Erie Times-News.

Donald Trump speaks to the Detroit Economic Club on October 10. (AP)

Erie billed Trump’s campaign more than $35,000 in 2018 and another $5,200 in 2023. Officials are still tallying up the damage for his September 2024 rally.

In Montana, officials in Missoula County invoiced the Trump campaign for nearly $13,000 that they say have not been paid, NBC Montana reported earlier this year.

Officials in Mesa, Arizona, are also still waiting for $65,000 from a 2018 rally. A letter reviewed by NBC News shows the city charging Trump’s campaign for crowd control, traffic control, barricades and towing, another law enforcement resource.

Trump’s campaign, however, has deferred commenting on those costs to the Secret Service. The federal law enforcement agency says that campaigns do not typically request local assistance for campaign activities, but the Secret Service “lacks a mechanism to reimburse local governments for their support during protective events,” according to a statement from spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi.

He said that the agency has “identified this as a critical need” and is asking Congress to address the issue.

In 2019, the Center for Public Integrity reported 10 cities were demanding more than $841,000 from Trump’s campaign.

Officials have acknowledged that while Trump may not be legally obligated to pay for additional local law enforcement support, the necessary measures for his events place a significant burden on the resource-strained cities he visits — compared to the millions of dollars his campaign raises — and have billed him accordingly.

“The fiscal impact on local governments, especially during campaign seasons in critical vote states or communities, can be significant,” Richard Myers, executive director of the Major Cities Chiefs Association and a former police chief for several cities, told the center at the time. “When one considers how much money campaigns raise and spend, it does not seem unreasonable to expect some degree of reimbursement for such demands for service.”

Cities have repeatedly cited the costs of overtime pay in their invoices. Trump has even admitted that he personally “hates” having to cover it.

“I hated to give overtime. I hated it,” he said during his most recent rally in Erie last month. “I shouldn’t say this, but I’d get other people in. I wouldn’t pay.”