NYC Terminates Contracts with Trump Organization, Citing Capitol Riot

  Last modified on July 8th, 2021

New York City is terminating all four of its contracts with the Trump Organization to manage entertainment sites around the city. The contracts include the operation of the Central Park Carousel, Wollman and Lasker Skating rinks in Central Park, and the Ferry Point Golf Course in the Bronx. The severed deal was worth roughly $17 million a year to Trump’s business.

WOLLMAN RINK PARTNERS LLC CHOSEN BY NYC PARKS DEPT

Following the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol last week, Mayor Bill De Blasio said the City has determined it’s within its power to cancel these deals because Mr. Trump had incited violence at the Capitol.

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“Inciting an insurrection against the U.S. government clearly constitutes criminal activity,” Mayor Bill de Blasio proclaimed in an MSNBC interview on Wednesday. “The City of New York will no longer have anything to do with the Trump Organization.” De Blasio went on to say the City is “on strong legal ground.”

NYC is now working to find new vendors to take over operations at the entertainment sites.

Eric Trump, Executive Vice President of the Trump Organization, responded with a statement to ABC News saying this is “Yet another example of Mayor de Blasio’s incompetence and blatant disregard for the facts.” He went on to say that “the City of New York has no legal right to end our contracts and if they elect to proceed, they will owe The Trump Organization over $30 million. This is nothing more than political discrimination and we plan to fight vigorously.”

Upper West Sider Jodi Verse, who regularly visits Central Park, shared her opinion with ILTUWS. “Trump doesn’t deserve to benefit or profit from the contracts he’s had with the city. But now, after inciting last week’s insurrection, refusing to take any responsibility, and demonstrating a complete lack of contrition beyond an obligatory scripted YouTube video, well, sorry, chump, you don’t just get to skate on by. The ice isn’t just thin, it’s melting, and the water you’re in isn’t just hot, it’s boiling.”

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An earlier attempt at dissolving Trump’s contracts with NYC was initiated by Council Member Mark Levine in December 2019. At the time, Levine said a city contract with a company owned by the President of the United States violated the Domestic Emoluments Clause of the constitution, further adding that Trump’s association with these landmarks was causing the city to lose money.

In 2019, the Trump name was removed from Wollman and Lasker rinks and replaced with tinier type face in fewer locations. His name was earlier removed from all UWS buildings.

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