The symbolic perfection of Trump as a Florida man
Donald Trump and New York City used to be a perfect match. Both were brash, outspoken, greenback worshipping, tabloid icons obsessed with building taller, shinier skyscrapers. But the ardor has cooled, and Trump is switching his official abode from Manhattan’s Trump Tower to his Mar-a-Lago resort in sunny Florida — news that prompted by New York’s Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo to tweet, “Good riddance.”
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There are various theories about the estrangement. The boy from Queens has become a conservative skunk in a liberal town, getting booed when he showed up at an Ultimate Fighting Championship bout at Madison Square Garden. But Trump and his kin could also save millions under Florida’s lax tax laws. And unlike New York, the Republican-run state doesn’t want to expose his tax returns.
Nothing is forever with Trump. He may not be able to resist New York’s allure once his presidency is over. But the move is symbolically appropriate: Trump has become more Florida Man than Manhattanite.
One of the more remarkable aspects of Trumpism is how a millionaire’s son with gold-plated seat belts on his private airliner made himself the voice of America’s economically bereft. But Trump knows very well what it’s like to be an outsider: He was mocked and rejected for decades by New York social elites when he tried to join their clubs with his nouveau riche ways.
So while he’ll hardly be slumming it in his ostentatious Palm Beach mansion, the President is closer in Florida to the spirit of the anti-establishment movement that he built in his name. And it doesn’t hurt that the Sunshine state is a must-win if he’s to capture a second term at the White House.
