Courtesy of Gage Skidmore
KALISPELL, Mont. – Flathead County released on Wednesday its findings of the security costs associated with President Donald Trump’s October 14 visit. The county said a majority of the costs, totaling around $58,000, were overtime wages for sheriff’s office personnel, and that it would not seek reimbursement from the federal government.
“Consistent with precedent established during previous visits by former Vice Presidents Mike Pence and Dick Cheney, Flathead County will not seek reimbursement from the federal government for these expenses,” the county wrote.
Flathead County Commission Chairman Brad Abell described incurring the costs as a responsibility associated with the “honor” of hosting the president.
“We have a duty to assist with security efforts during any presidential visit of this scale,” Abell said. “It was an honor for Flathead County to host a sitting President of the United States.”
“Securing an event of this size requires an extraordinary team effort, and our sheriff’s office personnel and partner agencies rose to the occasion with complete professionalism,” Flathead County Sheriff Brain Heino said. “Whenever a high-profile leader visits the Flathead Valley, our duty is clear: provide maximum security and protect everyone involved. I could not be prouder of how our entire team performed.”
Flathead County’s commissioner-approved budget for the fiscal year 2027 (which began on October 1, 2026 and will run through September 30, 2027) carries a deficit of over $56 million. However, Flathead County Administrator Pete Melnick said in a press release that the county remained in a “strong position” because a majority of the deficit was directed toward the new Public Safety Facility, for which a $95 million bond was received in the last fiscal year.
“In other words, the funding came through the front door last year and will go out the construction door this year,” Melnick wrote.
President Trump’s visit to Kalispell was followed by visits from Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and Vice President JD Vance to the Bozeman area. Gallatin County has not yet released associated security costs with those visits.