Trump’s longtime 'spell' on New York 'has finally worn off': former mayor

18 February 2024

Two days following Judge Arthur Engoron's order for Donald Trump to pay over $350 million in the former president's New York civil fraud case, the Big Apple's ex-mayor, Bill de Blasio, recounts the more than five decades it took for Trump to face consequences for his actions.

In an op-ed for MSNBC, the former New York mayor notes after essentially receiving "a slap on the wrist" after a 1973 federal investigation into the racially discriminatory practices of Trump and his father, "The lesson Trump learned early on was: Bending the rules does pay. It’s a philosophy that has framed a lifetime of business dealings and which, at last, may be catching up with him. Cut corners whenever you can. Play fast and loose with the rules and worry about the consequences later."

De Blasio writes, the MAGA hopeful "realized early on that he could get away with almost anything, so long as he was ready to retain enough pricey lawyers and donate to all the right political leaders."

Over fifty years later, the ex-New York leader emphasizes "it seems his spell has finally worn off.

De Blasio writes:

The pattern became clear to so many of us: Trump believed that the laws of New York simply didn’t apply to him. He has treated our city like his personal playground. It is no surprise that he would later boast, as a presidential candidate, that he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and get away with it.

And for far too long, the authorities never proved him wrong.

And so, throughout the 1990s and into the current century, the pattern continued. Trump exaggerated his assets. James’ investigation concluded that he had cheated his business partners. He walked away from contractual obligations. He created an entire university based on fraudulently preying on low-income students seeking a better life. And nothing happened to him that would actually change his behavior.

Until now.

He adds, "Fortunately, an entirely new generation of New York public servants, not steeped in the traditions of 'go along, get along,' have emerged to fight back. Their actions this week confirm that a long history of corruption is finally being overcome."

Noting that Engoron's ruling "highlights the extent of Trump and the Trump Organization’s white-collar malfeasance," de Blasio emphasizes, "Trump’s actions have consequences. And New York’s hardworking residents deserve to know that the rich and greedy don’t get to play by a different set of rules."

Read Bill de Blasio's full op-ed here.

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