Greetings, Flathead Beacon readers. If you were wondering how much President Donald Trump’s visit to the Majestic Valley Arena earlier this month cost taxpayers, you are in luck. Officials yesterday disclosed in a press release that rally expenses totaled approximately $58,000, which does not include costs from the City of Kalispell or other law enforcement agencies that assisted.

“We have a duty to assist with security efforts during any presidential visit of this scale,” Flathead County Commission Chairman Brad Abell said in the release. “It was also an honor for Flathead County to host a sitting President of the United States.”

Overtime wages for Flathead County Sheriff’s Office personnel absorbed the lion’s share of that total for their security operations assistance with the U.S. Secret Service and other federal agencies during the Oct. 14 visit. Additional costs included logistical support. Officials said other county services, which were not tracked separately, were minimal.

“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 Brian Heino said in the release. “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.”

The rally was one of President Trump’s stops as he makes the rounds to campaign for Republican candidates across the country ahead of the midterm election. The visit was the president’s sixth time campaigning in Montana and his first appearance in Kalispell, where he promoted Republican congressional candidate Aaron Flint and U.S. Senate candidate Kurt Alme.

County officials said the agency will not seek reimbursement from the federal government for the expenses, which is consistent with the precedent established during previous visits by vice presidents, according to the release.

Most recently, former Vice President Mike Pence in November 2018 campaigned in Kalispell to stump for U.S. Senate candidate Matt Rosendale on the eve of the midterm election.

In 2006, Vice President Dick Cheney campaigned in Whitefish for Sen. Conrad Burns. Vice President Al Gore in 1997 visited Glacier National Park and hiked Grinnell Glacier to raise awareness about climate change.

Theodore Roosevelt never toured northwest Montana; however, his distant cousin Franklin D. Roosevelt became the first sitting president to visit when he toured Glacier National Park in 1934, traveling over the newly constructed Going-to-the-Sun Road, according to previous Beacon reporting.

President Harry Truman visited Montana three times, passing through northwest Montana in 1952 for the final time to dedicate the Hungry Horse Dam and campaign for Democratic candidates. He even visited Flathead High School in Kalispell where he touted the newly completed dam along with the Columbia Falls Aluminum Company plant that would open three years later.

In 1971, President Richard Nixon visited Kalispell where he was greeted by nearly 22,000 people at Glacier Park International Airport and was presented with a freshly caught Montana trout. He then headed for the Libby Dam, which was still under construction at the time.

Prior to Trump’s visit, the most recent sitting president to visit northwest Montana was Gerald Ford in 1975 for a dedication of the Libby Dam where he promoted energy independence and environmental protection.

I’m Maggie Dresser, and this concludes my commander-in-chief visitation history lesson. Here’s the rest of the Daily Roundup.