This browser does not support the Video element.
Mayor Frey responds to Trump campaign’s threats to sue over costs of Minneapolis rally
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey held a press conference Tuesday in response to an ongoing dispute with President Donald Trump's campaign about pre-paying security costs for a planned campaign rally at the Target Center on Thursday.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said Tuesday the city expects President Donald Trump’s campaign to pay $530,000 for his planned “Keep America Great” rally at the Target Center Thursday night.
At a press conference, Frey said the $530,000 total comes from $400,000 for police overtime and $130,000 for public works, such as barricades and street closures. He said 2020 candidates from both parties will be asked to pre-pay for security costs associated with rallies in Minneapolis.
This browser does not support the Video element.
Trump Campaign, city of Minneapolis still split on additional fees associated with rally
The President's campaign says the rally Thursday is on as scheduled, but the city wants to make sure it has all of its funds recouped when the President leaves town.
“It will be applied evenly and fairly,” Frey said.
Following the mayor's press conference, Trump 2020 campaign manager Brad Parscale issued a statement, saying the venue for the rally has been "fully approved" and the campaign has "not agreed to pay any additional funds."
Mayor Frey released the following statement later Tuesday afternoon:
“My position with respect to the operating costs remains unchanged: in keeping with our contract with AEG, taxpayers should be reimbursed for city-incurred costs resulting from the president’s visit. In the days ahead, I will be meeting with city leadership and my council colleagues to decide upon the appropriate path forward.”
Frey’s office had called the press conference on Tuesday in response to the Trump campaign’s threat to sue the city over the costs associated with the rally.
On Monday, the Trump campaign said Minneapolis planned to charge AEG, the company that runs Target Center, more than $500,000 for security and other costs for the event. Target Center then reportedly tried to pass those costs onto the campaign by threatening to withhold the use of the arena.
The campaign called the half a million dollars security tab ridiculous and claimed it was 26 times higher than security costs for one of former President Barack Obama’s rallies at Target Center in 2009.
In a letter sent to AEG, the Trump campaign warned that unless the company confirmed it would honor the original agreement by 11 a.m. Tuesday, it would sue for breach of contract. However, the deadline came and went and the campaign has not yet sued the management company.
President Trump and Frey were going back and forth on Twitter Tuesday morning after the president accused the mayor of trying to silence Trump supporters by disrupting the rally. In response, Frey tweeted that the President of the United States “can afford to help pay for the extra time our officers will be putting in while he’s in town.”
The rally is scheduled to take place at the Target Center at 7 p.m. on Thursday. Anti-Trump activists have planned a protest outside the Target Center prior to the president’s visit.
The Minneapolis Police Department said it will have a "highly visible and robust" police presence downtown to handle the larger than normal crowds that are expected for the events.