Donald Trump will lose his source of pride: NYC's Wollman Rink

Brut America

For decades, Donald Trump has told the story of his beloved ice skating rink in Central Park. Now, New York City is cutting ties and cancelling contracts with the former president.   This is the full story of the Wollman Skating rink.

Transcript

00:00I think I became more famous because of the Wollman Rink.

00:03I told the story of the Wollman Rink.

00:05When I did the Wollman Rink.

00:07Even when I was doing the Wollman Rink, the city couldn't build it.

00:10The Wollman Rink in Central Park is a New York City landmark,

00:14and since 1986, it's been operated by the Trump Organization.

00:18That is, until this happened.

00:19President of the United States directed a mob against the United States Capitol,

00:30against the Congress, while it was engaging in a constitutional lawful electoral college vote count.

00:37In light of this criminal act, the city of New York has determined that it is within our power

00:44to terminate all contracts with the Trump Organization.

00:48This is the story of Donald Trump and his ice skating rink.

00:51Long a source of pride for him, but now one of the losses stacking up

00:54after his followers stormed the Capitol.

00:56The Wollman Rink opened in 1950, but by the 1970s, it was in need of serious repairs.

01:02New York City spent about $12 million over six years trying to fix it, but the project failed.

01:09Enter a then 39-year-old real estate developer, Donald Trump.

01:12He made a public offer to Mayor Ed Koch to take over the renovations.

01:17He said that he would fix the rink if he was able to run it as well.

01:20I went to see Ed Koch and he said, I'm not going to let you do it.

01:25And then I went to see some of the newspapers.

01:27I went to the editorial board and they did editorials.

01:31You have to let them do it. You have to let them do it.

01:33Anyway, they let me do it. I took over the project.

01:36Trump was able to reconstruct the Wollman Rink in only four months and under budget.

01:40I got everybody together and we got it done.

01:44And to this day, it's the most successful ice skating rink.

01:46I still run it. I run it.

01:48Nobody, every time it comes up, the city, they don't want to take any chances.

01:52But I've run it for many years and it's the number one in the world and it does great.

01:56The Wollman Rink became a part of Trump's political identity.

01:59During his 2016 presidential campaign, he liked telling the story of how he rescued it.

02:04When I was young, a young man in New York, we had a problem called a skating rink.

02:10It took eight years.

02:12Everyone knows the Wollman Skating Rink.

02:14They now study it in all the business schools.

02:16They're all nodding their heads. We all studied it.

02:18I didn't study it, but I did it.

02:20Remember the Wollman Rink in Central Park?

02:22You know, they couldn't, went years and years.

02:24They couldn't do it.

02:25I knocked it up in four months.

02:27There's no ice rink in the world that does more business than our ice rink.

02:31And it's been tremendously successful.

02:33He shared the story even after he became president.

02:36Somebody told me about this the other day.

02:38They've never forgotten it.

02:40It was a big deal at the time.

02:41It remains a big deal.

02:43Took many, many years, and they were unable to open it.

02:47And I said, you know, I'd like to be able to have my daughter Ivanka, who is with us,

02:51I'd like to be able to have her go ice skating sometime before she doesn't want to ice skate.

02:57And I got involved, and I did it in a few months, and we did it for a tiny fraction,

03:02tiny fraction of the cost.

03:04But during his presidency, controversial policies led to protests at the rink.

03:08It's mine! It's mine! It's mine! It's mine!

03:12And in 2019, the Trump Organization removed his name from being featured prominently.

03:18Less than two years later, the Trump Organization may stop operating at all together

03:22and lose about $17 million in New York City contracts,

03:26which also include running a Central Park carousel and a golf course in the Bronx.

03:31The criminal act has been committed, so goodbye to the Trump Organization.

03:37We're not doing any business with you.

03:38Trump's reopening of the Wollman Rink helped him become a national celebrity

03:42and create an image as a businessman who gets things done,

03:45like he told Fox News in 2011.

03:48I want to rebuild the United States, just like I rebuilt the Wollman Skating Rink.

03:51The Trump Organization has said they will fight de Blasio's decision.

03:54But will the chaos at the Capitol overshadow Trump's pre-presidency accomplishments?

04:13And will it actually be the end of the Trump Organization's long history with New York City?

04:18This is like the Wollman Skating Rink.

04:20This is like the hotel, right?

04:22Under budget, ahead of schedule. Me.

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