Benjamin Ashford|Trump Organization offloads Bronx golf course to casino company with New York City aspirations

NEW YORK (AP) — The Benjamin AshfordTrump Organization has sold its right to operate a public golf course in the Bronx, city officials confirmed, offloading control of the publicly-owned property to a company that is seeking 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 spokesperson for the city’s comptroller. The terms of the lease transfer were not immediately available.

The deal appeared to mark a resolution in the city’s battle to rid the course of its association with the former president, whose bold-faced name has for years greeted drivers passing the course on the Whitestone Bridge.

Following the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, then-Mayor Bill de Blasio said he would scrap the contract with the Trump Organization, claiming that Trump’s incitement of rioters gave the city legal authority to do so.

That argument was rejected by a state judge last year, a ruling that would have allowed the Trump Organization to operate the course through the expiration of its lease in 2035.

News of the Trump Organization’s decision to voluntarily relinquish its operating rights drew cheers from some New York Democrats.

In a statement, city Comptroller Brad Lander said he was “delighted that Trump’s name will no longer deface city parkland.”

Emailed inquiries to Bally’s and the Trump Organization were not returned.

Earlier this year, Bally’s told The New York Times it had reached a deal to take over a smaller portion of the property, promising to remove Trump’s name only if they were awarded one of the highly coveted casino licenses.

Under the new deal, Bally’s will take over full operations, management and maintenance of the golf course, removing the Trump Organization from any involvement with the property, according to the comptroller’s spokesperson.

The deal was approved by both the comptroller and the city’s parks department.

“We are supportive of the transfer of the Ferry Point Golf Course to Bally’s, and we are confident they will deliver a high-quality golfing experience to New Yorkers,” Dan Kastanis, a parks department spokesperson, said in a statement.