The Trump campaign had to pay a deposit of over $145,000 to secure a spot at the Tucson Convention Center for a rally on Thursday.
In a statement to Business Insider, the City of Tucson City Manager’s Office confirmed that the Trump campaign had paid a deposit for estimated costs of $145,222.70 to use the Linda Ronstadt Music Hall at the venue.
“In accordance with City of Tucson policy implemented after the 2016 campaign visits of then candidates Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders, we now require users at the TCC to pay all costs associated with public safety response, so that taxpayers do not have to shoulder these expenses,” the statement said.
“Users must deposit the City’s estimated amount of public safety response and TCC usage expenses in advance of an event,” it added.
According to local media, the City of Tucson asked for the deposit because the former president failed to pay a bill of $81,837 after a campaign event at the convention center in 2016.
“You know, the former president is entitled to come to anywhere he wants in Arizona,” Regina Romero, the Mayor of Tucson, said, per KOLD News 13. “It’s up to the Trump campaign to pay their bills.”
Business Insider has contacted the Trump campaign and the Tucson Convention Center for comment.
It’s not the first time Trump’s team has been accused of leaving unpaid bills for campaign events.
The Washington Post reported in 2019 that Trump’s campaign had at least $1 million in unpaid bills from US cities at the time, including $569,000 for a rally in El Paso, Texas.
The Tucson rally this week marked Trump’s return to the campaign trail after facing off against Vice President Kamala Harris in their first presidential debate.
Although Harris widened her lead in post-debate polls, Trump has insisted that he won the debate, telling supporters that it was a “monumental victory.”
The former president has said that he would not agree to another debate with Harris.
