‘An extremely big event’: University of Utah requests $6.5 million in state funds for presidential debate

Jonathon Sharp
·2 min read

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — The University of Utah has requested $6.5 million in state funding to host the final presidential debate ahead of the November election.

Jason Perry, the university’s vice president of government relations, told ABC4 on Thursday that there are “considerable costs” to hosting such an event, including law enforcement, infrastructure and cybersecurity.

Bills would allow Utah clergy to report abuse cases heard in confession

“This is an extremely big event, and the eyes of the entire world will be on it,” he said. “Over 100 million people will be watching this, the third and final presidential debate. So a lot of planning goes into making sure it goes off the way that it should.”

The debate is set to be held on Oct. 9 in Kingsbury Hall, bringing a surge of prominent people and media figures to the Beehive State.

In a sense, it’ll be a repeat of 2020, when the university hosted the vice presidential debate in the same venue, but at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. This time around, there’ll be more people.

That previous debate cost the university roughly $6.5 million. This one is expected to cost slightly more.

According to Perry, the university will also be asking big donors in the community for help to cover the cost.

“The reality of this is: People want to make sure this comes off the right way,” he said.

As for who will take the stage, former president Donald Trump is the frontrunner for the Republican Party in what’s shaping up to be a rematch against President Joe Biden.

Trump declined to participate in the Republican primary debates, so it remains up in the air if the presidential debates will happen. But that’s not going to stop the university from planning.

“This is a little, miniature Olympic event that will be here on campus,” Perry said. “Everyone coming into the state, all wanting to make sure to have a front-row view of this very important job interview.”

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah.