Pennsylvania mayor presses Trump to reimburse city in advance of rally despite not paying in 2018
Cami Mondeaux
Video Embed
A Pennsylvania town is pressing Donald Trump to reimburse the city government to provide security and other services ahead of a scheduled rally this weekend despite the former president failing to pay for a similar event in 2018.
Erie city officials are planning to submit an invoice to Trump ahead of his Saturday rally outlining charges for security detail as well as overtime costs for extra security provided by the Erie Police Department. The invoice comes after Trump failed to pay a $35,000 bill for similar charges after hosting a rally five years ago for midterm candidates, according to city officials.
SECRET SERVICE: BIDEN DOG WOULD BE ‘PUT DOWN’ IF NOT PRESIDENT’S PET
“I think we have to try,” Erie Mayor Joe Schember said in a statement to the Washington Examiner. “We are going to see whether we can get some payment from them in advance this time. It’s important to do this because we’re talking about taxpayer money being used to help make the former president’s visit safer.”
Trump held an event at the Erie Insurance Arena in October 2018, just one month ahead of the midterm elections that year. Saturday’s rally will be held at the same location, although it’s not entirely clear if it will be more expensive than it was five years ago.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
City officials previously urged Trump to reimburse the city for his 2018 event, but the former president has not followed through with the requests, they said. The city did not specify whether they would block Trump from holding Saturday’s rally if he does not pay or how they would enforce reimbursement.
It also remains unclear whether Trump plans to pay the city before he arrives this weekend, and a spokesperson for the former president has not yet responded to a request for comment by the Washington Examiner.