Trump's Unpaid Debt To Bozeman Airport: What's The Story?

In August 2024, Donald Trump's plane was forced to make an unscheduled landing in Billings, Montana, over 100 miles away from his intended destination, Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport. While social media posts claimed that the diversion was due to unpaid dues, amounting to over $12,000 in landing fees, representatives from both the airport and the Trump campaign refuted these claims, stating that the diversion was due to a mechanical issue. This incident brought attention to the larger issue of unpaid bills associated with Trump's campaign rallies across the country, including in cities like Albuquerque, El Paso, Erie, Mesa, Lebanon, and Spokane.

Trump's plane was diverted to Billings, Montana, due to mechanical issues

On August 9, 2024, former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's plane was diverted to Billings, Montana, due to mechanical issues. The plane was originally scheduled to land in Bozeman, Montana, where Trump was headed for a campaign rally. However, due to the mechanical fault, the plane was forced to land over a hundred miles away in Billings.

Following the incident, social media posts falsely claimed that the diversion was due to Trump owing unpaid dues to Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport. These posts alleged that Trump couldn't land in Bozeman because he owed the airport over $12,000 in landing fees from previous visits. The posts were shared widely across different platforms, including Twitter (now X) and Facebook.

However, these claims were quickly debunked by several sources, including the airport itself. The CEO of Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport, Brian Sprenger, stated unequivocally that there were no outstanding bills owed by Trump or his campaign. Karoline Leavitt, the National Press Secretary for the Trump campaign, also refuted the claims, confirming that the diversion was solely due to mechanical issues.

The false narrative regarding unpaid dues was originally posted as a joke by the X account @RepRichDangler, which is purportedly associated with Washington State District 11 legislators. Despite the clarification from airport officials and the Trump campaign, the misleading information spread rapidly online.

While Trump did not owe money to the Bozeman airport, his campaign has been associated with unpaid bills in multiple US cities. Reports indicate that the Trump campaign has outstanding invoices and unpaid costs associated with campaign rallies and events in cities like Albuquerque, El Paso, Erie, Mesa, Lebanon, and Spokane. These cities have incurred expenses related to public safety, overtime pay for law enforcement, and other logistical arrangements.

The claim that Trump's plane was diverted due to unpaid dues is false

On August 9, 2024, former US President Donald Trump's plane was forced to land at Billings instead of Bozeman, Montana, due to mechanical issues. Social media posts subsequently claimed that the diversion was due to Trump owing the Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport unpaid dues. However, this claim is false.

Trump spokesperson Karoline Leavitt and airport CEO Brian Sprenger both stated that there were no outstanding bills and that the plane was diverted due to mechanical issues. Sprenger described the online narrative as "false information".

While Trump's campaign has been shown to have unpaid bills in multiple US cities, including Missoula County, Montana, there is no evidence that he owes the Bozeman airport any money. The claim that Trump's plane was diverted due to unpaid dues is, therefore, unfounded.

Trump's campaign has unpaid bills in several US cities, including Missoula County, Montana

In August 2024, Donald Trump's plane was diverted from Bozeman, Montana, to Billings, over 100 miles away. This diversion sparked claims on social media that the change was due to Trump owing the Bozeman airport money. However, these claims were refuted by the Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport CEO, who stated that there were no outstanding bills and that the diversion was due to mechanical issues.

While Trump did not owe money to the Bozeman airport, his campaign has incurred unpaid bills in several US cities, including Missoula County, Montana. Missoula County officials have invoiced Trump's team for $12,922.82, which remains unpaid as of October 2024. This invoice breaks down to $10,835.41 for officer salaries, $1,059.26 for dispatcher salaries, $693.72 for the Office of Emergency Management, and $334.43 for miscellaneous expenses.

Trump's campaign has also accrued unpaid bills in other cities across the US, including Albuquerque, New Mexico; El Paso, Texas; Erie, Pennsylvania; Mesa, Arizona; Lebanon, Ohio; and Spokane, Washington. The total amount owed by the Trump campaign to these cities varies, with some cities, such as El Paso, taking legal action to recover the debt.

The existence of unpaid bills across multiple cities has raised questions about the financial practices of Trump's campaign and the potential impact on local governments and municipalities. While there may be no legal obligation for the Trump campaign to reimburse all of these costs, the outstanding debts highlight a broader issue of campaign financing and the burden placed on local communities when hosting political rallies and events.

The issue of unpaid bills by political campaigns is not unique to Trump, as other campaigns, such as those of Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton, have also accrued debts to cities for rally-related expenses. However, the scale and frequency of unpaid bills associated with Trump's campaign have brought attention to the matter, prompting discussions on potential solutions and the need for clearer regulations regarding financial responsibility.

The Federal Election Commission does not mandate campaigns to reimburse state or local municipalities

In August 2024, Donald Trump's plane was diverted from Bozeman, Montana, to Billings, over 100 miles away. This diversion was due to a mechanical issue, according to news reports and airport officials. However, social media posts claimed that the diversion was due to Trump owing the Bozeman airport unpaid dues. These claims were false, according to the National Press Secretary for the Trump campaign, Karoline Leavitt, and Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport CEO Brian Sprenger.

While the claims about the diversion were false, there is some truth to the broader allegation that Trump's campaign owes money to various municipalities. In fact, Trump's presidential campaign has unpaid bills in at least six cities for costs associated with his rallies and campaign events. These cities include Albuquerque, New Mexico; El Paso, Texas; Erie, Pennsylvania; Mesa, Arizona; Lebanon, Ohio; and Spokane, Washington. The total amount owed to these cities exceeds $900,000, including late fees.

It is important to note that the Federal Election Commission (FEC) does not specifically mandate campaigns to reimburse state or local municipalities for expenses incurred during campaign events. According to FEC public affairs specialist Myles Martin, "there is no specific provision in FEC regulations for congressional or presidential campaign committees that speaks to expenses incurred by a state or local municipality in connection with a federal officeholder's or candidate's campaign event(s). While federal campaigns are permitted to use campaign funds to reimburse for these security costs, Commission regulations do not specifically mandate that they do so."

The lack of a mandate from the FEC means that cities may not have legal recourse to recoup the funds owed by the Trump campaign. In many cases, there are no signed contracts between the municipal governments and the campaign, further complicating the recovery process. Despite this, some cities have taken legal action to try and collect the debt, and in some instances, the campaign has made payments.

In summary, while the diversion of Trump's plane from Bozeman, Montana, was due to mechanical issues and not unpaid dues, the broader issue of his campaign's unpaid bills in multiple cities is a separate matter. The FEC's lack of a specific mandate on reimbursement of municipal expenses leaves cities in a challenging position when it comes to recovering these costs.

Trump's campaign owes money to cities including Tucson, Arizona, and El Paso, Texas

In 2024, it was revealed that Donald Trump's presidential campaign had incurred unpaid bills in several cities across the US. These debts were associated with costs related to his campaign events and rallies over the years.

Tucson, Arizona, was one of the cities impacted by Trump's unpaid bills. The city incurred about $81,837 in unreimbursed costs associated with providing public safety at a Trump campaign event in March 2016. At the time, the city demanded payment from the campaign, but it refused to pay. Tucson's City Attorney determined that pursuing legal action would likely consume more resources than any potential recovery. As a result, Tucson has since modified its agreement terms and conditions for similar events, requiring users to pay all costs of public safety response and deposit the estimated amount in advance.

El Paso, Texas, was another city significantly impacted by Trump's unpaid campaign debts. The city was owed over $500,000, including $470,000 in additional services provided by local police and fire departments and $98,787.58 in late fees, stemming from a rally held in February 2019. The El Paso City Council took action to hire outside legal counsel to assist in recovering the funds, and the city's communications director confirmed that they continued to seek payment.

In addition to Tucson and El Paso, other cities with outstanding invoices from the Trump campaign included Albuquerque, New Mexico; Erie, Pennsylvania; Mesa, Arizona; Lebanon, Ohio; Spokane, Washington; and several others. The total unpaid bills across these cities amounted to at least $850,000.

It is important to note that the diversion of Trump's plane from landing in Bozeman, Montana, was due to mechanical issues and not unpaid dues, as confirmed by the Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport CEO and the Trump campaign spokesperson.

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