New York Bids A Fond ‘Good Riddance’ To Donald Trump (Video)

Donald Trump is moving.

No, not out of the White House.

Not yet.  (It’s coming.)

Like millions of septuagenarians, he’s relocating to Florida because New York is just too damn expensive.

According to documents filed with the Palm Beach County, Fla. Circuit Court, Trump completed a “declaration of domicile,” changing his primary residence from 721 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan to his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach late last month.

Why not?

He’s already spent nearly 100 days–10 percent–of his two years and 285 days in office there, mostly playing golf.

But he hasn’t declared residency there to be able to play more golf or enjoy the Florida climate.

Perhaps he’s going because of the tax law he signed nearly two years ago that eliminates the previous deduction for state and local income or sales taxes, and caps the property tax deduction to $10,000, cited as discriminatory towards 13 states, including New York, that paid more in federal taxes than they received in federal spending.

Or maybe it’s because New York is assiduously pursuing the grift upon which Donald Trump has predicated his financial life.

In September, Manhattan district attorney Cyrus Vance subpoenaed eight years of Trump’s tax returns as part of the investigation into hush-money payments Trump paid to women, including adult film actor Stormy Daniels, during the 2016 presidential election.

Last month, a New York federal appeals court ruled Trump’s accounting firm, Mazars USA, must turn over to Congress eight years of personal and business tax returns, refuting Trump’s claim he is immune from criminal investigations.

U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero labeled that claim “repugnant to the nation’s governmental structure and constitutional values.”

He added:

 “The court cannot square a vision of presidential immunity that would place the President above the law.”

The president’s returns are integral to the House of Representatives’ impeachment inquiry.

After Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin refused to comply with an initial request for Trump’s tax returns, House Ways and Means Chairman Richard Neal sent a second letter to IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig demanding his agency comply with the law and release six years’ worth by 5:00 p.m., Tuesday, April 23, 2019.

Mnuchin refused again, violating federal law.

As Judge David Tatel wrote:

“Contrary to the President’s arguments, the Committee possesses authority under both the House Rules and the Constitution to issue the subpoena, and Mazars must comply.”

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted on Thursday:

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo followed with:

Cuomo added on MSNBC:

“The fight will continue, and I think it is a desperate legal move where he’s now going to argue, ‘Well the state should have no right to my taxes because I moved out; I’m a Florida resident.’ That’s besides the point. When you filed your taxes, you were a New York resident. If you defrauded the state, you defrauded it when you are a New York state resident.”

Trump retaliated:

“I love New York, but New York can never be great again under the current leadership of Governor Andrew Cuomo (the brother if [sic] Fredo), or Mayor Bill DeBlasio. Cuomo has weaponized the prosecutors to do his dirty work (and to keep him out of jams), a reason some don’t want to be in New York, and another reason they are leaving.”

“Fredo” is a derogatory reference to Cuomo’s brother, CNN journalist Chris Cuomo.

New Yorkers are not upset about losing Trump.

He lost his own congressional district in the 2016 election.

According to a May piece published in New York magazine, Trump Tower–Trump’s soon-to-be former Manhattan address–has been suffering due to the connotation of the name “Trump” and daily hassles with increased security.

One Tower resident told New York the first year of Trump’s presidency:

“There are now Secret Service members all over the building. They sit in the stairwell. And now you have to drive to Madison Avenue to have your car sniffed before you can drive it in and drop off any packages. There’s a scanner on 56th Street. If you’re walking in there with packages, you have to put them through, like an airport.”

Trump World Tower resident, carpet designer James Tufenkian, told New York:

“I wasn’t crazy about the Trump name when I bought it, but I just thought the apartments were so great. I had been seriously thinking about selling before Trump’s candidacy, and it clarified things when he started running. I am worried that the Trump name has hurt its value. My family says, ‘You have to get out of that building. It’s just not appropriate.’ I send out emails when people are coming here, saying, ‘Please don’t blame me for the name on the door.’ And they understand when they get here. I never refer to it as the Trump Tower; I only refer to it by its address.”

So long, Donnie.

Enjoy the Sunshine state.

Surrounded by oranges is appropriate since you’ll soon be wearing that color.

Image credit:  politicalhaze.com

Ted Millar is writer and teacher. His work has been featured in myriad literary journals, including Better Than Starbucks, The Broke Bohemian, Straight Forward Poetry, Caesura, Circle Show, Cactus Heart, Third Wednesday, and The Voices Project. He is also a contributor to The Left Place blog on Substack, and Medium.