How much did it cost the Trump campaign to book the Asheville venue?
ASHEVILLE - Donald Trump's Aug. 14 visit to the city owned Harrah's Cherokee Center carries a price tag of $82,247, according to the event invoice.
This is significantly higher than the cost of Trump's last visit to Asheville in 2016 when the Citizen Times reported the campaign paid an estimated $36,916, more than any presidential candidate since 2008. During that visit, Trump spoke from the Cherokee Center's ExploreAsheville.com Arena, with a capacity for more than 7,000 people.
The upcoming event will be held in the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, the smaller of two main venues that make up the Cherokee Center complex. It has a 2,431-seat capacity.
City spokesperson Kim Miller said the smaller venue was requested by the Trump campaign.
"This is event has been described by the organizers as a 'townhall policy discussion,'" she said.
Chris Corl, the city's director of Community and Regional Entertainment Facilities, whose department oversees the Cherokee Center, said Aug. 13 that the city has been paid in full, up front.
The lease agreement, obtained by the Citizen Times, stipulated payment of the advance estimate (a total of $76,442) was due in advance of set up.
Per the agreement, the spaces are leased Aug. 13-14 by the Trump 47 Committee, a recently formed joint fundraising committee.
The former president's visit to Asheville was announced Aug. 10. A news release said Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, would deliver remarks "on the economic hardships created by the Harris-Biden Administration."
Vice President Kamala Harris will visit Raleigh Aug. 16 to deliver the first policy-centered speech in her new role as Democratic presidential nominee. It will outline a plan "to lower costs for middle-class families and take on corporate price-gouging," a campaign official said, according to reporting from USA TODAY. She canceled an event in North Carolina the week before because of Tropical Storm Debby.
Lease details
Per the city's booking policy, rental rates for ticketed events in the auditorium run at $5,500 or 10% of net gross ticket receipts, whichever is greater. For the ExploreAsheville.com Arena, ticketed events must pay $7,500, with the same stipulation. There are several other smaller venues in the complex, including banquet and exhibition halls and several meeting rooms.
A cost breakdown in the lease agreement shows a rate of $7,500 for the Aug. 13 move in for "all" spaces in the Cherokee Center, and $15,000 for the Aug. 14 event and load out. That puts rent at $22,500, but staffing, equipment, security, stagehands and all other event related expenses will be charged on actuals — with an advance estimate total of $76,442.
Miller said Harrah's Cherokee Center staff was contacted Aug. 8 by the Trump campaign with the request.
The morning of Aug. 13, portable toilets were set up along the street, having rolled into downtown on truck beds, the block buzzing with activity. Fluorescent orange barriers had appeared against curbs. Street closures were slated to begin at noon.
"As with all events at the Harrah’s Cherokee Center - Asheville, public safety will be a top priority for all people engaged with the event. The Emergency Operations Center has been activated to provide the best communication and coordination in and around the event. Extensive public safety preparation and planning has taken place between local, state and federal agencies and coordination will continue through the end of the event," Miller said via email.
"We encourage our community to treat each other with respect. Adherence to all applicable laws and regulations will support individuals' rights to safely practice their right to free speech."
Booking policy?
Last year, the Cherokee Center revisited its venue booking policies following the outcry around a controversial October performance and its subsequent cancellation. But despite tweaks to its policies, as a publicly owned venue, the city faces stringent barriers to instituting greater restrictions on its rental spaces, a city attorney said in November.
"The Thomas Wolfe Auditorium is a publicly owned venue and therefore is restricted from discriminating against users based on the content of their speech or political party affiliation," Miller said.
"The City is committed to maintaining a neutral stance and upholding the First Amendment rights of all individuals and groups."
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More: Asheville police chief says 'lessons learned' from 2016 Trump rally, prepared for Aug. 14
Sarah Honosky is the city government reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. News Tips? Email [email protected] or message on X, formerly Twitter, at @slhonosky. Please support local, daily journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: How much did it cost the Trump campaign to book the Asheville venue?
