Donald Trump's unpaid bill remains from the 2019 campaign stop

ALBUQUERQUE, NM – There was some drama leading up to former President Donald Trump's rally on Thursday.

First, the city of Albuquerque blocked use of the convention center, citing ongoing repairs. Expo New Mexico reportedly gave the campaign the same response.

After deciding on the airport's location, the state land office did not allow parking on leased state land outside the Isleta Amphitheater.

People parked nearby Thursday morning, but they weren't particularly happy about it.

“This situation that they have created with parking is intolerable and I hold the city government, the administration and the state administration responsible for the crisis that they are creating with this parking nightmare,” said Tom Laiche, a Trump supporter.

As KOB 4 told you earlier this week, Mayor Tim Keller's office says Trump still owes Albuquerque nearly half a million dollars.

Despite other high-profile visits from leaders to our city over the years, 4 Investigator Brittany Costello says bills like this are rare.

Keller's office says the city has billed campaigns in the past. But the example they gave us was $1,000, not half a million. After a stop in Rio Rancho in 2019, interest in Trump's bill grew.

The City of Albuquerque provided security related to his stay at a hotel in downtown Albuquerque.

Keller says the city paid $7,000 for barricades, $133,000 for city employees and $71,000 for police services to close streets and close City Hall.

The mayor's spokeswoman told us the city has billed campaigns in the past that required additional time and equipment, citing President Biden's campaign rally at a Westside Community Center. The city says it charged a Democratic committee $1,000 for it.

Former longtime Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez told us Thursday that city policy in his time was to charge for use of city facilities, but never for police protection, as Keller did.

Chávez spontaneously could think of only one outstanding bill for presidential candidate George W. Bush. The city was unable to track down the outstanding bill for Bush. We'll let you know when we get it.

The city is not charging fees for former Trump's visit on Thursday.

Twenty years ago, Las Cruces settled with the Air Force after cargo planes that were part of a presidential visit caused an estimated $2 million in damage to the city's airport runway.