Unpaid bills haunt Trump’s Halloween rally in Albuquerque, leave campaign scrambling for venue

Story by Griffin Eckstein. October 31, 2024.

Albuquerque is just one of many cities seeking to recoup unpaid fees from Trump’s campaign stops over the last decade. Municipalities in Texas and Pennsylvania are still after more than $750,000, per an NBC News analysis shared earlier this month.

In Albuquerque, the convention center Trump hoped to use was undergoing planned maintenance. When the former president came calling, city officials weren’t going out of their way to help Trump secure a second location.

““If you’re not going to pay your bills, we’re just not going to entertain you using city facilities, and that’s the way it should be. With anyone who wants to use any [city-owned] facility … you can’t have money owed to the city. For us to consider the fact that we’re half a million dollars short is something we would do for any candidate or anyone who wants to rent the convention center in general. – Albuquerque mayor Tim Keller”