Legal critics have warned that Judge Arthur Engoron’s ruling against former President Donald Trump’s business empire may spur a business exodus to Florida.
As previously reported, Engoron imposed a nearly $355 million fine on Trump and the Trump organization. He also ruled that Trump may not serve as an officer or director of ANY company in New York for at least three years, while his sons Eric and Don Jr. may not serve in such a position for two years.
Speaking with Fox News after the ruling was announced, former Bush White House press secretary Ari Fleischer speculated that the exodus is about to begin with Trump’s own children.
“If you’re Eric [or] Donald Junior, what are you going to do? [Y]ou just say goodbye to New York,” he said.
“Which fits a pattern that many successful people have been doing and leaving New York because New York is just too political, too blue and too punitive – you’re seeing that in the business community and among upper-income New Yorkers already,” he added.
This is going to lead to a mass exodus of businesses in New York. They’ll target your business for having the “wrong” political views. Not to mention the massive crime in New York. Take your business to the free state of Florida.
— Pro Swing Trading (@Pro__Trading) February 17, 2024
Fleischer further argued that New York’s justice system has become a dangerous quasi-political entity, with solely leftists being placed in all the positions of power.
“He noted that New York County, which is Engoron’s purview and contains Manhattan Island and Marble Hill, has voted on average 85 percent to 15 percent Democratic in presidential elections going back to his former boss Bush’s first race in 2000,” according to Fox News.
“New York State hasn’t awarded its electoral votes to a Republican since Ronald Reagan, and only sided substantively with a losing GOP candidate once: when Thruway namesake Gov. Thomas Dewey lost to President Harry Truman in 1948,” Fox News notes.
“There’s very little pressure pushing back on these politicians here (in New York) to stop doing it because it’s wrong,” Fleischer said. “So unless the appeals process in New York comes to the rescue, it’s become a legal banana republic.”
George Washington University Law Prof. Jonathan Turley added that the ridiculousness of the $300+ million fine — which he noted is “larger than the budget of some countries” — should be enough to drive any sensible business owner out of the state.
“It’s one of the greatest ironies of this case: In the name of protecting businesses in New York, you probably just led to hundreds of businesses looking at potential rentals in Florida because they look and they go, ‘wow, if we fall on the wrong side of the politics in New York, they could sell us off for spare parts,'” he said.
When Businesses Exodus
New York, we’ll have
Anti-Business @DNC to Blame@GovKathyHochul @ffweekend https://t.co/HoQUzlfPWh pic.twitter.com/ny3QEfOAem— @MikeBeach (@mike123qwe) February 17, 2024
The Trump organization is also predicting an exodus.
“Today’s ruling is a gross miscarriage of justice,” a spokesperson for the Trump Organization said in a statement. “Every member of the New York business community, no matter the industry, should be gravely concerned with this gross overreach and brazen attempt by the Attorney General to exert limitless power where no private or public harm has been established.”
“If allowed to stand, this ruling will only further expedite the continuing exodus of companies from New York,” the Trump Organization spokesperson added.
Democrats are foolish to applaud today’s judgement against Trump.
Businesses now know NYC is compromised and not worth doing business in.
NYC will shut down a business for purely political reasons.
There are many states that won’t.
The exodus from New York will now increase.
— Paul A. Szypula (@Bubblebathgirl) February 17, 2024
As previously reported, Trump’s younger son Eric responded to Engoron’s ruling Friday by crying foul.
“You have a company like ours that has paid over $300 million in taxes to a city. My father built the skyline of New York City — and this is the thanks he gets?!” he said on Fox News.
“For doing absolutely nothing wrong? Not a dollar financial loss. The exact opposite. Hundreds of millions of dollars in financial gain,” the younger Trump added.
Trump also directed fire at New York Attorney General Letitia James for filing the complaint that led to Friday’s decision by Engoron.
“She campaigned on that [getting his father], she fundraised on that — we didn’t have a chance,” he said. “We just didn’t have a chance in New York because it’s a rigged system. And you could not have a better real estate company than ours. You could not have a more professional real estate company than ours.”
The younger Trump continued by slamming New York state.
“I caution anybody — I caution anybody even thinking about moving to New York to just be careful,” he said. “This is not the state that my father grew up in. This is not the state that we grew up in. This is the demise of a politically weaponized system. And it’s horribly sad.”
“New York is a hopeless place at this point. It’s so sad. This judge ruled against my father before we even went to trial. He ruled against our entire family. It was a setup from the very beginning. This was never supposed to be in that court. It was supposed to be in the commercial division. They would never allow it to get there,” he added.
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V. Saxena is a staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University. Saxena also contributes to BizPac Review.
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