New York City looking into canceling contracts with Trump Organization

The Wollman Ice Rink in Central Park.
(Image credit: Stephen Chernin/Getty Images)

The Trump Organization has contracts to operate skating rinks, a carousel, and a golf course for New York City — but lawyers are now investigating whether the city can cut ties, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Tuesday.

"We are looking at that very, very carefully and very quickly," he told reporters during a press conference. "The president incited a rebellion against the United States government — clearly an unconstitutional act and people died. That's unforgivable."

The Trump Organization runs Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point, a public golf course in the Bronx, as well as Central Park's carousel and two skating rinks. Every year, the Trump Organization makes $17 million in revenue from those businesses, The Washington Post reports.

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City Councilman Mark Levine, a Democrat, told The New York Times he believes the contracts could be terminated because they are "at will" agreements. Levine has been vocal about ending the contracts with Trump, saying it's "been a no-brainer for years, but it would be beyond outrageous if, even now, we allow him to continue to profit off those businesses, which are on public property that is our sacred public green space."

The golf course, rinks, and carousel have all been "underperforming, so the city is getting a worse and worse deal out of it," Levine added. "People are avoiding these places because of the Trump name." The agreements for the Central Park ice rinks and carousel are set to expire in April, while the golf course contract ends in April 2032.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.