Two ice skating rinks operated by the Trump Organization in New York City’s Central Park will remain open for the rest of the season, despite the city government’s decision to cut business ties with the company.
“New York City kids deserve all the time on the ice they can get this year,” New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s office said in a statement to media outlets. “The Wollman and Lasker rinks will stay open under current management for the few weeks left in this season. But make no mistake, we will not be doing business with the Trump Organization going forward. Inciting an insurrection will never be forgotten or forgiven.”
This comes after the
city decided in January to cut ties with Trump’s business. Eric Trump, the executive vice president of the Trump Organization and son of former President Donald Trump, previously criticized de Blasio for shutting down the ice rinks before the end of the skating season, telling the
New York Post that “the mayor is absolutely petty.”
“This isn’t about us, this is about the people of the city who come here to skate and disabled kids who joined hockey teams and others who joined skating school and take lessons every week,” he told the newspaper.
In a Feb. 21 statement, Eric Trump commended de Blasio’s office in a
post on Twitter, saying “Mr. Mayor, Thank You for keeping Wollman and Lasker Rinks open—you’ve just made countless NYC families (along w our 250 employees) incredibly happy. This is a bright moment for New York and please know we appreciate it.”
He added that he intends to thank the city’s mayor in person.
The city’s contract with the Trump Organization runs through April but the leases for the Wollman Rink and the Lasker Rink were scheduled to be canceled on Feb. 26.
A city newsletter shows that the city is seeking an operator to maintain the Wollman Rink (
pdf).
The Trump Organization also will be required to cease operating a Central Park carousel and the Ferry Point Golf Course in the Bronx. The organization has appealed the city’s decision to sever ties,
CBS News reports.
The city had followed in the footsteps of several major businesses that also cut ties with the Trump Organization following the Jan. 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol.
De Blasio, other lawmakers, and the media have blamed Trump for the violence and had called for his impeachment.
Before and during the breach, the president
addressed a crowd gathered outside the White House where he reiterated allegations about election irregularities and potential fraud, and his dissatisfaction with the media and several lawmakers. During the speech, Trump called on his supporters to “fight like hell” to be well-represented by their elected delegates in Congress, after he urged supporters to protest “
peacefully and patriotically” outside the U.S. Capitol.
Trump was acquitted by the Senate in a 57–43 vote, which failed to meet the constitutional threshold of 67 votes for a conviction.
Correction: The breach of the Capitol building had begun while Trump was still making his speech.
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