Montana Republican U.S. Senate candidate Tim Sheehy and former President Donald Trump address a rally in Bozeman on Aug. 9, 2024. (Photo by Blair Miller, Daily Montanan)
Despite cities across Montana and the U.S. being stiffed out of payment for services for Donald Trump rallies, it appears that the former president and current GOP nominee won’t receive a bill from his recent trip to Gallatin County. And, it appears that the campaign has paid up on its bill for the Aug. 9 rally.
According to a press release issued by Gallatin County, various law enforcement agencies spent approximately $62,560 for staffing and supporting the campaign rally on the campus of Montana State University last month.
Despite raising hackles with some residents, Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer said that additional staff time and money won’t be billed to the Trump campaign because the campaign did not request services. Instead, the request for additional help came from the Secret Service, which is treated as a fellow law enforcement agency needing help.
Without elaborating on specifics, Gallatin County Officials said that the Secret Service had specific requests it made in order to ensure the safety of Trump and his team, as well as the safety of the public.
“Our community’s safety is always our top priority, and during President Trump’s visit, we had excellent coordination among all of our law enforcement agencies,” Springer said. “We are grateful for the professionalism and cooperation from all agencies.”
The cost of the breakdown provided by Gallatin County includes:
Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office— $23,170.22
City of Bozeman— $20,034.50 – this includes $17,094.40 for Bozeman Police Department, $2,862.13 for Bozeman Fire Department, and $77.97 for cost of food for motorcade team that did not attend full event.
Montana State University Police Department— $12,783.30 – this includes $3,680.02 for cost of food and water for all first responders supporting the event.
Belgrade Police Department—$6,569.36
The Bozeman Daily Chronicle first reported earlier on Friday that an MSU spokesman said that the Trump campaign had paid its bill from the university for the event, which totaled more than $162,000, and included things like set-up, parking and use of the video equipment.