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President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Iowa on October 9.
- Wildwood, New Jersey Mayor Pete Byron asked President Donald Trump's campaign to pay for the costs associated with hosting the president for his rally there this week.
- Soon afterwards, Republican Rep. Van Drew, who's close with Trump, told Byron he couldn't attend the event.
- Although Byron says he would have respected the rally, he still believes the city should be reimbursed.
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President Donald Trump's "Keep America Great" rally for his 2020 re-election bid on Tuesday welcomed thousands of people to a seaside town in New Jersey - except for the city's mayor.
Hours before the Tuesday rally, Pete Byron, the mayor of Wildwood, New Jersey, said he was "not invited" to attend by Republican Rep. Jeff Van Drew after asking the Trump campaign to pay for the costs of the president's visit.
"I"m the Mayor," Byron told the Philadelphia Inquirer. "Why should I have to sneak into an event in my hometown?"
Van Drew, a former moderate Democrat, requested the rally after flipping parties and swearing allegiance to Trump, the New York Times reported. Byron, whose city is within Van Drew's district, was recently elected mayor of Wildwood, beating long-time incumbent Republican Ernie Troiano Jr. in the process. Though the rally wasn't Byron's idea, he said a presidential visit should transcend partisan politics.
"This isn't about whether you're Republican or Democrat. It isn't even about the man. It's about the position," Byron told the Inquirer. "Check your affiliation at the door and let's just all participate in this monumental [and] exciting time for Wildwood."
AP Photo/ Evan Vucci
President Donald Trump arrives at UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena to speak at a campaign rally, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2020, in Milwaukee.
Although Byron welcomed the national exposure and economic boost Trump's pit stop would mean for the seaside town, the costs of hosting a sitting president are often pricey.
"I have no way of knowing what these costs will be," he told the Inquirer. "These rallies can be pretty expensive. There's a lot of overtime."
Byron told local media outlets that he asked the Trump campaign to reimburse Wildwood for Trump's visit - and the campaign wasn't happy. At that point, Van Drew Van told Byron he wouldn't be welcome at the rally.
"I was not invited," Byron said Tuesday, hours before the rally. "I've been informed that Congressmen Van Drew and the President are upset with the fact that I said I think the city should be reimbursed."
Byron expressed that he was "very disappointed" in Van Drew for effectively uninviting him to his "coming out party.
Byron says the two had known each other for years and still need to have a working relationship.
"He's still my Congressman and we need to have a relationship," Byron told the Inquirer. "The decision's been made ... You have a congressman and a president. Who else would he answer to?"
A representative for Van Drew didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
Read the original story at the Philadelphia Inquirer>>
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