NEW YORK (AP) – The Trump Organization has sold its rights to operate a public golf course in the Bronx, city officials have confirmed, giving up control of the publicly owned property to a company looking to build a casino in New York City.
Bally’s Corporation, a gaming and entertainment company, will take over the job of running the 18-hole course, known as Trump Golf Links Ferry Point, according to a spokesman for the city comptroller. The terms of the lease transfer are not immediately applicable.
The agreement appears to mark a resolution to the city’s struggle to shed its association with the former president, whose bold name has long greeted drivers crossing the Whitestone Bridge road.
After the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol, former Mayor Bill de Blasio said he would void the contract along with the Trump Organization, which claimed that Trump’s incitement of the rioters gave the city legal authority to do so.
That argument REJECTED by a state judge last year, a decision that would allow the Trump Organization to operate the course until its lease expires in 2035.
News of the Trump Organization’s decision to voluntarily give up operating rights drew cheers from some New York Democrats.
In a statement, City Comptroller Brad Lander said he was “pleased that Trump’s name will no longer tarnish the city park.”
Emailed inquiries to Bally’s and the Trump Organization were not returned.
Earlier this year, Bally told The New York Times that it had to take a small part of the property, promising to remove Trump’s name if they were granted one of the most coveted casino licenses.
Under the new deal, Bally’s will take over full operation, management and maintenance of the golf course, removing the Trump Organization from any involvement in the property, according to a comptroller’s spokeswoman.
The agreement was approved by the comptroller and the city parks department.
“We support the transfer of Ferry Point Golf Course to Bally’s, and we are confident that they will provide a high-quality golf experience to New Yorkers,” said Dan Kastanis, a spokesman for the parks department, in a statement.