Donald Trump confirmed on Twitter Thursday that he has declared his resort in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, as his primary residence, rather than his luxurious triplex atop the Trump Tower. This skyscraper on Manhattan’s famous 5th Avenue near Central Park has become the focal point for many anti-Trump protests since he was elected in 2016.
Child of the district of Queens, the former 73-year-old real estate entrepreneur has confirmed that he now prefers the Florida sun, citing particularly heavy New York taxation and the hostility that the American financial capital now has towards him, Democratic stronghold who voted 80% for Hillary Clinton.
“I love New York City, and New Yorkers, and always will be, but unfortunately, despite the millions I pay in city, local and state taxes each year, I have been very badly treated by elected officials from both the city and the state, ”he regretted.
Vindictive exchanges
The decision was greeted with “Good riddance!” by the mayor as by the governor of New York, Bill de Blasio and Andrew Cuomo, triggering a bitter exchange with the president by Twitter interposed.
“It’s not as if he pays his taxes, anyway,” quipped the governor, alluding to suspicions of tax evasion surrounding the president, who has always refused to publish his statements.
This earned him an investigation by the Manhattan prosecutor, who claimed eight years of statements, which it is not excluded that it will one day lead to an indictment.
Donald Trump retorted that the mayor and the governor let New York “become dirty and dangerous again”, and denounced their policies which make “a lot of people leave our dear New York”.
Still, several residents of the metropolis interviewed Friday also welcomed his departure.
“I don’t want him to come back. It’s just too much trouble, too much traffic, ”said Joe, a 34-year-old engineer, refusing to give his last name.
Yovo Addo, 38, a New Yorker by birth, was more nuanced.
“He did a lot of things for the city, including philanthropy,” he said. “But he also made some controversial decisions. It is not good for a city with such a diverse population. If he came back and wanted to impose his ideals again, I don’t believe that his ideas would be tolerated, ”he said.
In fact, Donald Trump’s decision seems to confirm his disenchantment with a city of which he has long represented “the hard spirit of business” with all its excesses, underlines Sam Abrams, professor of political science at Sarah Lawrence University, near New York. York.
Since arriving at the White House in early 2017, he has spent just 20 days in Trump Tower compared to 99 days in Mar-a-Lago, according to NBC.
He is due to make a cameo appearance on Saturday in Manhattan, which is already sparking tongue-in-cheek comments and fears of aggravated traffic jams.
From renewal to disavowal
In the 1980s, when he inaugurated the Trump Tower and reopened a Central Park ice rink dear to New Yorkers, he embodied the renewal of a city long plagued by a tax crisis and high crime.
His alleged extra-marital affairs – until his third marriage to a young Slovenian immigrant, Melania – fuel the gossip press, helping to forge this image of success sweeping away convenience.
If he then sinks into debt, he continues to project the image of the impetuous New Yorker, by becoming the star of the television show The Apprentice, which will make his notoriety across the country.
But since his arrival at the White House, “he no longer seems proud to be New Yorker, to reflect New York values, to love diversity. He displays opposing positions, ”according to Sam Abrams, even refusing federal funding for a key tunnel to unclog New York.
Before, “he was seen as someone who took care of New York”, today, “he hates it”.
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