AUSTIN (KXAN) — During an antifa roundtable with President Donald Trump on Wednesday, a reporter asked the president about an item that was previously removed from the Austin City Council’s Thursday agenda.
The item would have waived more than $120,000 worth of fees for a ‘No Kings’ protest scheduled to march from the Texas State Capitol to Auditorium Shores on Oct. 18. Of that, $80,000 would have been used to waive Austin Police Department patrol fees, according to city documents. You can find the full cost breakdown here.
Trump, who did not appear to have been aware of the city council item, responded with the following:
“I would love to do something about that. Bring a lawsuit, do something. You know, the best thing you can do is have honest elections. Because the elections are totally rigged in so many of these places. You take a look, the people, they’re all loving you, they can’t breathe they love so much. Every one of them.“
KXAN reached out to the Travis County Clerk’s Office regarding Trump seemingly insinuating that Austin’s elections may be rigged. They sent us the following statement:
“Travis County elections are secure, transparent, and fully compliant with state and federal law — including every rule passed by a Legislature that’s been Republican-controlled for over 20 years.
We audit every election. No rigging. No smoke, no mirrors — just ballots, checks, and balances.
If you’ve got concerns, our records are open. If you’ve got theories, we’ve got facts. And if you’re a voter — we’ll see you at the polls.
In Travis County, we don’t rig elections. We run them — fairly, openly, and with full respect for our democracy.”
The resolution the questioner is referring to is item No. 52 on the agenda Thursday: “Approve an ordinance waiving or reimbursing certain fees for the No Kings Day 2 event to be held October 18, 2025, at Auditorium Shores.”
“I would like you to make a big deal, though, if they’re waiving a fee. But I guarantee they wouldn’t do waive it for… it’s not Trump, if it were a Conservative rally, they wouldn’t be waiving it,” Trump said.
“Unlike President Trump, I fully support the First Amendment and the people’s right to peaceably assemble,” the items sponsor, Austin City Council Member Chito Vela, said.
According to Austin Mayor Kirk Watson’s office, that item was pulled from the agenda because of the cost associated with it. The mayor’s office said they do not expect the item to return to a future agenda. Vela’s staff confirmed that.
“Item 52 was withdrawn by its sponsor from the council agenda earlier today and prior to the comments from the president,” Watson said.
Austin City Council members each get up to $6,000 annually for special events fee waivers, according to a city audit report from 2017 that looked at fee waivers. That means even if every city council member and the mayor had pooled their annual fee waiver budget — at $66,000 — it still would have fallen well short of the projected $120,000+ cost in the item.
So what happens now?
Just because the item was taken off the city council agenda does not mean the city of Austin will not provide services like security from law enforcement.
In a statement the city of Austin said:
“The City of Austin recognizes the rights of people to exercise their First Amendment Rights and, by City ordinance, has established a policy to allow expressive activity on certain City properties.
The ordinance also recognizes the City’s duty to Austinites to ensure these activities remain safe and are not harmful to public facilities or lands.
Regardless of the messaging or ideology of any organizers who plan a rally or protest, it is the duty of the City to both support First Amendment Rights and ensure crowd control and safety.
In this instance, the City’s special events and public safety staff are working with the organizers to determine the anticipated size of the gathering, what resources will be necessary to ensure the safety of attendees, and what direct costs and/or fees the organizers will be responsible for.
The City of Austin will do what is necessary to ensure critical public safety protections are in place at this and any similar event.“
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