Former President Donald Trump had a hard time finding a spot for his Halloween rally in Albuquerque, New Mexico rally, as unpaid bills came back to haunt his campaign.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reported that the campaign’s original plans to use the Albuquerque Convention Center were dashed, due in part to an unpaid bill of nearly $445,000 from a 2019 rally.
“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,” Albuquerque mayor Tim Keller told the outlet.
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.
“With anyone who wants to use any [city-owned] facility … you can’t have money owed to the city,” the city's mayor said. “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.”
The Thursday rally, just five days ahead of an election widely expected to come down to 7 swing states, confused many. Trump lost New Mexico by nearly 11 points in 2020..
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