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U.S. President Donald Trump plays golf at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, the United States, December 30, 2020.
Marco Bello | Reuters
Palm Beach County in Florida began this week looking for a way to terminate a contract with President Donald Trump’s prestigious International Golf Club.
The county attorney’s office confirmed to NBC News on Friday that an official has asked if Palm Beach has any means to cancel its lease with the president’s beloved course, West Palm Beach.
The Palm Beach Post, which first reported the county was reviewing the lease, added that Trump was paying $ 88,338 per month in rent for the property.
Trump frequents his titular, county-owned, unincorporated West Palm Beach International Golf Club when he visits Mar-a-Lago, his Palm Beach estate. The president is known to throw parties at the club; Some notable guests in previous years included Kid Rock and Tiger Woods.
Howard Falcon, the county’s deputy chief attorney, told the Post he didn’t believe the county had the legal capacity to abruptly end the lease, saying his “initial reaction was that it would be overkill.”
A lawyer for Trump’s golf course added to the Post that he had spoken with Falcon and concluded that there was “no basis for canceling the lease.”
The county’s decision to explore severing ties with Trump came about a week after hundreds of violent rioters stormed Capitol Hill, killing at least five people, including a police officer.
The unprecedented attack on Capitol Hill led to a national and bipartisan crackdown from politicians from all political backgrounds. The House of Representatives made history this week when it voted to impeach Trump for the second time for his role in inciting or encouraging the riot.
President-elect Joe Biden, who will succeed Trump on Wednesday, has publicly rebuked the president’s actions and called him “incompetent.”
Although the impeachment process angered the president, Trump is said to be more upset by the fallout from the riot on his business reputation and status in golf.
Several media outlets reported earlier this week that Trump was apoplectic after the PGA of America voted on Sunday to withdraw the championship from its New Jersey golf course next year.
“We are in a political situation that is beyond our control,” Seth Waugh, CEO of the PGA of America, told The Associated Press. “We are trustees for our members, for the game, for our mission and for our brand. And how can we best protect this? We felt, given the tragic events of Wednesday, that we could no longer hold it in Bedminster. The damage could have been irreparable. “
A New York Times reporter wrote on Monday that, in relation to his reaction to the impeachment proceedings before him, Trump’s reaction to the PGA decision “was [a] different order of magnitude. “
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Wednesday the city would cut its own trade ties with the president’s company in the wake of the riots. In a statement, de Blasio said New York was taking steps to end all contracts with the Trump Organization, which includes hundreds of companies owned by the president.
The organization has three contracts to run concessions in the city – the Central Park Carousel, the Wollman and Lasker rinks, and the Ferry Point golf course – which earn the company $ 17 million a year, according to the Washington Post.
“The president has instigated a rebellion against the United States government which has killed five people and threatened to derail the constitutional transfer of power,” de Blasio said in a statement.
“New York City will not be associated with these unforgivable acts in any form, manner or form, and we are taking immediate action to terminate all contracts with the Trump Organization,” he added at the time.
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