Trump Threatens Lawsuit After Austin Drops Fee Waiver for 'No Kings' Protest

During a roundtable Wednesday, Trump weighed in on the withdrawn Austin agenda item—while city officials defend election integrity.

President Donald Trump sharply criticized the Austin City Council on Wednesday after an agenda item to waive over $120,000 in fees for a planned “No Kings” protest was abruptly removed. 

Among the waived costs would have been roughly $80,000 for Austin Police Department patrol fees.

At the roundtable, a KVUE-ABC reporter asked Trump about the removal. He responded, “I would love to do something about that. Bring a lawsuit, do something. … But I guarantee they wouldn’t … waive it for … it’s not Trump, if it were a Conservative rally, they wouldn’t be waiving it.”

He also seemingly questioned the integrity of local elections, “The best thing you can do is have honest elections. Because the elections are totally rigged in so many of these places. … Every one of them.”

The Travis County Clerk’s Office immediately pushed back, issuing a statement defending the county’s election processes, “Travis County elections are secure, transparent, and fully compliant … We audit every election. No rigging. No smoke, no mirrors — just ballots, checks, and balances.” 

The city’s Item No. 52 titled, “Approve an ordinance waiving or reimbursing certain fees for the No Kings Day 2 event to be held October 18, 2025, at Auditorium Shores,” was withdrawn by its sponsor, councilmember Chito Vela, before the council meeting, citing the high cost.

According to KXAN, City officials and Mayor Kirk Watson say they do not expect the item to return to a future agenda. Even if all council members and the mayor pooled their annual $6,000 council fee-waiver budgets, the $66,000 total would still fall far short of covering the requested full waiver.

Austin’s statement underscored the city’s dual obligations, “support First Amendment Rights” and “ensure crowd control and safety.” 

Meanwhile, the “No Kings” movement, which held protests in June and is planning a national wave of demonstrations, confirms the Austin march will proceed on October 18 regardless of the fee controversy.