Key Takeaways:
– Trump campaign sends an advance payment of $82,247.60 to the City of Asheville for a sudden rally.
– The amount covers a two-day rental of the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium in the city.
– Most of the payment goes to crowd control, security, and other event management costs.
– Trump’s campaign arranges this rally amid his trailing in the polls to Kamala Harris.
Last-minute Panic Rally
In a surprising move to regain ground in the polls, former President Donald Trump’s campaign has organized an impromptu rally in North Carolina. Trump, surprisingly trailing Vice President Kamala Harris in polls, switched strategies. Initially, Trump wasn’t planning to hold any events until the Democratic convention wraps up next week. But the declining numbers seem to have sparked the rush for this rally.
Trump’s Advance Payment
In an unexpected turn of events, the City of Asheville received an advance payment of $82,247.60 from Trump’s campaign. The sum will cover the two-day rental of Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, a City-owned building in the downtown area. This place can accommodate up to 2,431 people, making it the smaller of the two venues in Asheville’s Harrah’s Cherokee Center complex.
Speaking on this transaction, Kim Miller, a City spokesperson, revealed that $22,500 was the rental fee for the event space. The remaining sum accounts for additional costs incurred for security, crowd management, and other staffing and administrative needs for this impromptu rally.
Why Advance Payment?
The sudden prepayment by Trump’s campaign is notable due to its past debts. Trump’s rallies around the United States have led to significant unpaid expenses, leaving local taxpayers to pick up the slack. In some instances, these unpaid amounts run in the hundreds of thousands. The burden falls on the local communities when services are cut or taxes increased to compensate for the expense of hosting these lucrative events.
The lesson seems to be learned for local government officials in Asheville, North Carolina. In a move that can be seen as a sensible or precautionary one, they demanded an upfront payment for services and facilities before Trump could stage his rally in the town. This quest for an advance payment may set a precedent for cities and towns in the future.
What’s Next for Trump
With this desperate look of his campaign evident in the sudden shift in strategy, from planning no events to hastily arranging one, Trump appears on edge to regain a lead in the polls. His last-minute rally, coupled with an advance payment, marks a significant departure from his traditional approach of campaigning.
As the Democratic convention concludes next week and campaign trails start heating up, all eyes will be on Trump’s future moves and whether advance payments for his rallies will become the new norm. Will other towns and cities follow Asheville’s example and demand upfront payments to avoid local taxpayers bearing the load of his campaign expenses?
This unplanned rally in North Carolina points towards an intense election period ahead, with Trump’s campaign in the limelight. In the coming weeks, Americans will closely follow the trail to see if this last-ditch effort to increase momentum will be a game-changer for Trump. Let’s not forget that ultimately it’s the voters who hold the cards, and it remains to be seen how they respond to these unexpected moves from the Trump camp.