Coliseum rally to cost Trump campaign at least $300K

Daily Point

GOP campaign has made a down payment on Nassau venue

While Nassau Coliseum is owned by Nassau County, and the lease on the arena is held by Las Vegas Sands, neither the county nor Sands was responsible for the negotiations that led to plans for a rally by former President Donald Trump at the arena on Wednesday.

That responsibility lies with ASM Global, a venue and event management company that handles the day-to-day operations of Nassau Coliseum on behalf of Sands.

A source familiar with the discussions told The Point Monday that the total charges to the Trump campaign for renting Nassau Coliseum could amount to between $300,000 and $500,000. The campaign already has made a down payment, the source said.

While the exact cost to the Coliseum’s operator is unknown, labor costs would make up the vast majority of the expense. Based on conversations with multiple sources, it’s estimated that those labor costs could amount to between $100,000 and $150,000. Any ancillary costs won’t approach the total the Trump campaign is paying.

"The venue is not going to lose money on it," the source familiar with the discussions said.

Sands officials referred all requests for comment to ASM Global. ASM Global General Manager Joseph Zino did not return requests for comment.

Neither those costs nor the revenue, however, come from public funds. While the county has access to the Coliseum for its own events, the Trump rally had to be handled by ASM Global because it’s a political gathering, sources said. As outlined in the lease between Sands and the county that was approved last month, Sands is liable for annual rental costs to the county of $10 million and a public safety fee of at least $900,000.

The estimates on the cost of the event and the rent paid by the Trump campaign don’t cover any costs for the Nassau County Police Department, other county EMS needs, or Town of Hempstead expenses for the rally and counter protests.

This won’t be the only large event Nassau Coliseum is hosting in the coming days. On Sunday, India Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to hold a "community reception" at the Coliseum. Sponsored by the Indo American Community of USA, the program, called "Modi & US Progress Together," is expected to feature a Modi address. According to published reports, more than 24,000 people have registered to attend the event, despite the fact that the Coliseum generally seats up to 16,000 people for concerts.

— Randi F. Marshall randi.marshall@newsday.com

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Quick Points

Oregon fail

• Oregon state officials mistakenly registered 306 noncitizens to vote when they applied for driver’s licenses, a mistake the officials called a "data entry issue" and described as "regrettable." Other good words would be "dumb," "eminently avoidable," and "cannon fodder for conspiracy theorists."
• Newly released tapes reveal that former President Richard Nixon, who launched the infamous "war on drugs" in 1971, later told aides that marijuana was "not particularly dangerous" and that some severe penalties for using it were "ridiculous." One more duplicity for a long duplicitous record.
• A Swedish government inquiry reported last month that promoting repatriation for migrants would make it harder to integrate them into Swedish society, but last week the Swedish government increased its cash offer to migrants to go back to their home countries to $35,000. Actions speak louder than words.
• The administration of Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman has denied letters and Freedom of Information requests from county lawmakers, community groups, activists and newsgathering organizations including Newsday seeking information about his controversial provisional deputies program. What is he so worried about?
• Far right activist Laura Loomer wrote that the "White House will smell like curry and White House speeches will be facilitated by a call center" if Kamala Harris wins the presidential election. Which, in her own way, Loomer is making more likely.
• Amid skyrocketing obesity rates, the FDA is preparing to propose labeling the fronts of food and drink packaging to help Americans make healthier choices. Getting people to read the labels is an entirely different matter.

— Michael Dobie michael.dobie@newsday.com

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