Aboard the Staten Island Ferry, a snapshot of Donald Trump’s New York

NEW YORK — It’s the evening rush on the Staten Island Ferry, and Donald Trump’s New Yorkers, spent after a day’s work in Manhattan, are heading home.

There’s the construction worker who is convinced Trump will stop “pussyfooting around” when it comes to terrorism. There’s the Hungarian immigrant tow-truck driver who says Trump speaks his language. There’s the moving-company worker who believes Trump would be the first honest and courageous president in his lifetime, the diamond dealer who respects his toughness and the fashion model in awe of his glamour.

“He’s just the man, right?” says Jimmy Dawson, 20, just back from modeling Givenchy’s new line on a runway in Paris. On the ferry, Dawson looks incognito, save for his red “Make America Great Again” cap.

“It’s his wealth, his attitude,” he adds. “Look at what he’s done. It’s inspiring. Who wouldn’t want to have that life? Who doesn’t want to be rich? This is New York.”

This is Trump’s city, and these are his people. The billionaire real estate mogul is poised to wallop his opponents in Tuesday’s New York primary and record one of the biggest victory margins of the GOP presidential race so far. Recent polls show Trump topping 50 percent in the state, far outpacing Ohio Gov. John Kasich and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas.

To understand why, listen to passengers on the ferry as it cruises across New York Harbor. They see Trump as the human embodiment of their city’s spirit and ambition. He’s big and brash and unafraid.

They say they know Trump and believe in him, even though they’ve never met him. For decades, they’ve been reading about his exploits in the tabloids, staring up at his buildings, spotting his name practically everywhere.

Yes I did know that houston built one of the largest abortion facilities and even wrote to perry about it. The article was making NYC “Trump’s” not me. I know he has but a tiny percentage of the “wealth” of the city and did consider being mayor there at one (or 2/s) points. He may have learned about how government works then, eh?

No I do not hold DT responsible for the abortion rate in NYC. But it is HIS city, and I wonder what he learned from papa...

“Trump was investigated by a U.S. Senate committee in 1954 for profiteering from public contracts, including overstating his Beach Haven building charges by US$3.7 million.[6] In testimony before the Senate Banking Committee in 1954, William F. McKenna, appointed to investigate “scandals” within the FHA, cited Fred C. Trump and his partner William Tomasello as examples of how profits were made by builders using the FHA. McKenna said the two paid $34,200 for a piece of land which they then rented to their corporation for over $60,000 per year in a 99-year lease, so that if the apartment they built on it ever defaulted, the FHA would owe $1.5 million on it. McKenna said that Trump and Tomasello then obtained loans for $3.5 million more than the apartments cost.[7] Trump testified before the Senate Banking Committee the following month as it investigated “windfall profits.” He said that builders would not have built apartments under an expired post-war loan insurance program if regulations had set inflexible limits on loans issued by the FHA.[8] In September 1954, following Trump’s testimony, 2,500 tenants of the Beachhaven apartments sued Trump and the FHA, claiming the builder made windfall profits and that the builder had received loans for $4 million more than the construction actually cost, and that rents were consequently inappropriately inflated.[9]”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Trump

Do you think DT will stop wasteful spending? He should know how it’s done.

I guess he did learn a bit...or maybe the city did since they now set the amount of rent.

http://www.nytimes.com/1994/04/17/nyregion/trump-to-seek-federal-help-to-get-riverside-south-under-way.html

If the application is approved, Ms. de Milly said, Mr. Trump would be allowed to sell tax-exempt bonds — through the city or the state — that are insured by the Federal Housing Authority. The money from the bonds would be used to build the first four of Riverside South’s 16 residential buildings. Riverside South would then also become eligible for the state’s 421(a) program, which provides tax abatements for 20 years to developers who build low-income housing.

Mr. Trump would be required to make 20 percent of the 1,600 units in those first four buildings low-income rental housing. That is already part of his agreement with the city that calls for him to build affordable housing at the site, the former Penn Yards between 65th and 69th Streets.

A decision is expected to take about a year. The department will also set the rents and the means test for qualifying for the units. Occupancy in 1997

As a Staten Islander none of these comments surprise me not even the lady who voted Obama and is now on board for Trump. Staten Island is the most important Republican county in New York State. It is still so conservative that with the exception of a one term Democrat we have had a Republican Congressman/women for 40 years in NYC!
SI is so conservative we have two Democrat County Committeemen heading Democrats for Trump on the record.
Trump will win SI next Tuesday with at least 85% which will seal his overall win in the state. Trump will do no worse than 45% in NYC in November because of low Democrat turnout and Staten Island. That will propel Trump to a 53/47 win and the White House.
Final note on my half of the island - South Shore Trump getting 90% Tuesday is not unreachable.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.