Lifelong New Yorker Trump moving primary residence to Florida
President Trump has changed his primary residence from Trump Tower in New York City to Mar-a-Lago in Florida, the president tweeted Thursday night. "I cherish New York, and the people of New York, and always will, but unfortunately, despite the fact that I pay millions of dollars in city, state and local taxes each year, I have been treated very badly by the political leaders of both the city and state," Mr. Trump tweeted.
The news about Mr. Trump's move was broken by The New York Times, which reported Mr. Trump and his wife, Melania, filed a "declaration of domicile" saying that the Mar-a-Lago Club will be their permanent residence.
"As President, I will always be there to help New York and the great people of New York. It will always have a special place in my heart!' Mr. Trump tweeted.
Mr. Trump moved into Trump Tower at 521 Fifth Avenue when it opened in 1983. While Mr. Trump did not give a reason for the move, one person told the Times that it was primarily for tax purposes.
To avoid paying taxes in New York State, Mr. Trump will have to limit the time he spends there. He would have to pay state income taxes if he spends 184 days or more in New York State during a tax year.
Mr. Trump, a lifelong New Yorker, has only spent a handful of time at Trump Tower since he was inaugurated, although he is expected to spend the night there on Saturday, November 2. When Mr. Trump is not at the White House, he frequently spends his time at Mar-a-Lago or his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey.
Mr. Trump is not popular in Manhattan, which has held some of the largest protests against his administration. Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. has subpoenaed eight years' worth of Mr. Trump's business and personal tax returns for an investigation into the payment of hush money to two women who claimed to have had affairs with the president.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo tweeted "Good riddance. It's not like @realDonaldTrump paid taxes here anyway."
Democratic presidential hopeful and Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren also weighed in, tweeting, "Donald Trump doesn't want the state of New York to see his taxes—I wonder why. Let's call this out for what it is: Corruption, plain and simple. Under my anti-corruption plan, all presidential candidates would be required to release their tax returns."
Trump Tower has not been without controversy since Mr. Trump took office. In April 2018, one person was killed in a fire on the 50th floor — just eight floors below Mr. Trump's triplex apartment. In January of that same year, a fire in Trump Tower's heating and air conditioning system injured three people.