President Trump's Move to Florida Offers a Warning for Democrat Bosses

As the president noted recently, New York Democrats have been mistreating him for years despite the millions of dollars he has paid in state and local taxes every year, and the thousands of New Yorkers he has employed across many businesses and projects. Governor Andrew Cuomo’s reaction to the announcement — “good riddance” — exemplifies the disdainful attitude that New York political leaders have exhibited toward their most productive citizens, including entrepreneurs and major business leaders.

Of course, Donald Trump is far from the only New Yorker to decide that it’s no longer worthwhile to put up with the shenanigans of politicians such as Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. Over the past nine years, one million residents have fled the New York City metropolitan area — an average of about 300 people every single day.

The phenomenon isn’t confined to Gotham, either. Statewide, 84 percent of counties have experienced a population decline since 2010, and the exodus resulted in a net loss of nearly 50,000 people in just 12 months between July 2017 and July 2018.

There’s no shortage of compelling reasons to resettle, all of them traceable to Democrat mismanagement. New York’s sky-high taxes are often cited, appropriately, as one of the factors driving people out of the state, but that only accounts for relatively affluent residents with the financial means to pull up stakes and relocate to lower-tax states.

Public safety, on the other hand, is an issue that affects everyone. Low crime rates lead to improved quality of life, increased opportunity for economic development, and better schools. High crime produces the exact opposite results.

Over the past several years, New Yorkers have witnessed the humiliating spectacle of our elected officials viciously denigrating law enforcement, and their rhetorical attacks against police officers have unfortunately inspired others to escalate things with physical attacks. Police are a constant target of the media, activists, and their own leaders. No one in Albany or Gracie Mansion has their backs — a brutal reality that recently culminated in viral footage of cops being doused with water as they went about their duties, too afraid of political retribution to react.

NYPD officers have voiced their discontent loud and clear. Morale is low and trust in leadership has dissipated to the point that the police union unanimously approved a motion of no-confidence in de Blasio.

Rumor has it that even former Police Commissioner James O’Neill — who stands accused by rank-and-file officers of cozying up with Mayor De Blasio — resigned in exasperation over soft-on-crime policies spearheaded by the mayor and the governor. According to the New York Post, Commissioner O’Neill spent weeks prior to his resignation warning that New York’s crime rates are “only gonna get worse” thanks to the politicians’ efforts to neuter law enforcement.

President Trump has always had the back of our servicemen and women — military veterans and police officers alike. Although Democrats have abandoned New York’s finest for political reasons, President Trump has consistently supported soldiers and police officers since long before he had any interest in political office. It’s just who he is.

When President Trump lived here, he routinely helped New York City make good on the debt of gratitude we owe our veterans. In 1985, for instance, then-citizen Donald Trump donated $1 million toward construction of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Plaza in lower Manhattan, a living testament of our city’s respect for those who served in Vietnam. In 1995, he saved the Veterans Day Parade with what one parade organizer called a “ginormous check” that allowed the parade to go on.

Now, President Trump is officially a resident of Florida, along with thousands of other Empire State refugees. If New York politicians don’t want to see even more of their constituents go the same route, they should be working to give current residents a reason to stay rather than attacking the people and institutions trying to make life better for New Yorkers.

As New York City’s 40th Police Commissioner, Bernard Kerik was in command of the NYPD on September 11, 2001, and responsible for the city’s response, rescue, recovery, and the investigative efforts of the most substantial terror attack in world history. His 35-year career has been recognized in more than 100 awards for meritorious and heroic service, including a presidential commendation for heroism by President Ronald Reagan, two Distinguished Service Awards from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, The Ellis Island Medal of Honor, and an appointment as Honorary Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. To read more of his reports — Click Here Now.