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FACT BRIEF

Does Trump have outstanding invoices from Arizona campaign events?

By Carmela Guaglianone
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YES

Former President Donald Trump’s campaign has outstanding invoices from the cities of Mesa and Tucson for public safety costs related to events held during his 2016 and 2020 campaigns for president. Trump’s campaign is not legally obligated to pay these invoices, and some cities have policies against issuing them.

Mesa spent $64,467.56 providing additional security for a Trump rally at Phoenix-Gateway Mesa Airport in October of 2018, and Tucson spent $81,837.00 in May 2016. Bernie Sanders did not pay Tuscon’s invoice for his 2016 event, either.

Cities would have legal grounds to force payment if the events were held on government property, or if they had required the campaigns to sign contracts or pay upfront. Several cities across the nation have now instituted such practices.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Center for Public Integrity Why the Trump campaign won’t pay police bills
DocumentCloud City of Mesa Statement
DocumentCloud City of Tucson Statement
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting
The Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting is the state’s only independent, nonpartisan and collaborative nonprofit newsroom dedicated to statewide, data-driven investigative reporting. AZCIR's mission is to hold powerful people and institutions accountable by exposing injustice and systemic inequities through investigative journalism.
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Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.