Elderly Racist New Yorker Moves to Florida

Continuing the grand tradition of rich, racist white New Yorkers fleeing the state for Florida, where lower taxes and Republican ghouls abound, Donald and Melania Trump are officially changing their primary residence from New York City to their Palm Beach resort.

As the New York Times reported on Wednesday, the Trumps filed paperwork to change their primary residence at the end of September from their apartment in New York City’s Trump Tower to their Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida.

Trump later confirmed the move in a series of tweets, in which he whined that he has been “treated very badly by the political leaders of both the city and the state” despite paying “millions of dollars” in taxes. Of course, since he refuses to release his tax returns, there’s no way of knowing whether this is true. (Trump is also currently fighting with the Manhattan district attorney over the release of said tax returns, in a lawsuit that will not be affected by his move to Florida.)

According to the Times, Trump’s decision to fulfill his destiny as a Florida Man is due in large part to “tax purposes,” which I interpret naturally to mean that he wants to continue to avoid paying them:

Florida, which does not have a state income tax or inheritance tax, has long been a place for the wealthy to escape the higher taxes of the Northeast.

Changing his primary residence could carry significant tax implications for Mr. Trump, although how much is unclear without seeing his returns. But in changing his residence to Florida, he would most likely be avoiding New York State’s top tax rate of nearly 9 percent and New York City’s top rate of nearly 4 percent.

Leaving New York could also save money for Mr. Trump’s heirs at the time of his death. New York imposes a top estate tax rate of 16 percent for estates larger than $10.1 million.