OUTSTANDING

Trump Campaign Leaves Trail of Unpaid Rally Bills Across the Nation

A number of cities have accused the former president of skipping town without settling the check after staging events there.

Donald Trump’s campaign has amassed a staggering pile of unpaid debts for services related to his rallies since 2016, according to Al Jazeera, which reported Monday that the former president’s team still owes hundreds of thousands of dollars to 10 cities across the United States. The largest outstanding invoice belongs to El Paso, Texas, which told the network that the Trump campaign still owes it $569,204.63 for a 2019 rally. In 2020, the El Paso City Council retained a law firm to “advocate in the City’s interest in the collection” of the money, a city spokesperson told NBC News earlier this month. “The city continues to seek the payment of these past due expenses, so city taxpayers do not continue to bear the cost,” another city spokesperson told Al Jazeera. Other cities chasing the campaign for unpaid tabs include St. Cloud, Minnesota, which is owed $208,935.17 for a rally this July; Spokane, Washington, which is owed $65,124.69 for a 2016 event; and Tucson, Arizona, which is one of several cities that now requires Trump’s campaign to pay for services up front, to avoid adding to the $81,837 bill it’s already racked up. The campaign did not respond to Al Jazeera’s request for comment.