President Trump Returns To NYC; Hundreds Protest Tax Plan
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- President Donald Trump was back on his home turf Saturday following one of the biggest legislative victories of his presidency to date.
Trump attended several GOP events across the Big Apple just hours after Republicans pushed a nearly $1.5 trillion tax bill through the Senate.
Several hundred protesters gathered across the street from Cipriani in Midtown, where the president spoke at a breakfast for business leaders.
Activists shouted "shame" and one held a sign that read: "Shame on your tax reform."
Protesters outside the restaurant said they were angry in part about a tax bill supported by the president.
Holly Denunzio, from Seattle, told WCBS 880's Ethan Harp she hadn't planned to be in the crowd, much less hold a handmade sign.
"Then I heard that the president was going to be speaking across the street with his Republican donors, so I thought that I would join," she said. "I just happened to have a piece of paper with me."
Later, hundreds marched to Wall Street for a rally led by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who called the bill "the scam to end all scams."
"If we don't stop it, you're going to see the biggest man-made disaster hit the American economy," the mayor said.
American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten called on the crowd to stop the bill.
"If we do not hold them accountable, they will create an America we will not recognize," she said.
At nearby Foley Square, a few hundred people gathered to protest the bill.
"It's a payback to every millionaire and every billionaire in this country," one of the organizers told 1010 WINS' Andrew Falzon.
"Don't pass this bill. Please don't. You'll have more people in New York – and not just New York, nationwide – people will be struggling even harder than they are now," said Crown Heights resident Maria.
New York City Public Advocate Tish James told Falzon she's concerned about state and local tax deductions.
"It's really unfortunate that there was this rush to pass this bill in the middle of the night and no one has even read the bill," she said.
In the Tri-State area, Republicans and Democrats alike have voiced opposition because of the eliminations of those deductions, known as SALT.
(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)