Mayor Bill de Blasio on Wednesday announced that New York City will sever its business ties with the President Donald Trump’s personal businesses due to his role in inciting an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol last week.
The news comes on the day that the House of Representatives will vote on whether to impeach Trump for the second time. The lone article of impeachment is for inciting an insurrection on Jan. 6.
According to a press release from Mayor de Blasio’s office, the city plans to cancel its existing contracts with the Trump Organization to operate the Central Park Carousel, Wollman and Lasker skating rinks, and Ferry Point Golf Course.
“The President incited a rebellion against the United States government that killed five people and threatened to derail the constitutional transfer of power,” de Blasio said in a statement. “The City of New York will not be associated with those unforgivable acts in any shape, way or form, and we are immediately taking steps to terminate all Trump Organization contracts.”
The Trump name was removed from the ice skating rinks, which the organization has run for decades, in 2019 as part of a rebranding effort.
NYC lawmakers had been looking into ending the Trump Organization’s relationship with the city since 2019, when Democratic members of the City Council introduced a non-binding resolution calling on the mayor to exercise any termination clauses in the contracts.
Appearing on MSNBC on Wednesday morning, de Blasio said he expected the move will be met with a flurry of lawsuits, but believed the city was on “strong legal ground” following the events that played out in the U.S. Capitol last week.
“Inciting an insurrection against the U.S. government clearly constitutes criminal activity,” he said during the interview. “The City of New York will no longer have anything to do with the Trump Organization.”
The New York Times reported Wednesday that the agreements contain language that prohibits cancelations for “arbitrary or capricious” reasons linked to animus towards President Trump.
“Mr. Trump’s incitement of violence at our Capitol was an abomination,” said NYC Corporation Counsel James E. Johnson in a statement. “In light of last week’s attack on our Capitol and our democracy, we have concluded that it is in the best interests of New Yorkers for the City to commence the process of cancelling these contracts and terminating its business ties with the Trump Organization.”
According to the mayor’s office, the termination process for each of the four locations location is detailed in the city’s contracts. Termination of the contract for the Carousel, which is currently closed, will be effective 25 days after notification is delivered to the Trump Organization. Contracts for the Wollman and Lasker ice skating rinks will terminate 30 days after delivery of written notice. The process for terminating the Ferry Point Golf Course agreement is “more detailed and is expected to take a number of months.”
[image via BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images]