President Trump Calls New York City A 'Hellhole' As He Decries Supreme Court Decision On His Tax Returns

President Trump on Thursday called New York City, his hometown, a “hellhole,” as he complained about a Supreme Court decision that allows prosecutors to pursue access to his tax returns as part of an investigation into payoffs to two women who claimed to have had affairs with him.

“You know what’s going on in New York. Everyone is leaving. It’s turned out to be a hellhole and they better do something about it,” Trump said.

https://twitter.com/thehill/status/1281312627294117888?s=20

Trump, who changed his official residence to Florida last year, has been highly critical of New York since he became president. He changed his residence in a fit of pique against state and local political leaders, complaining about the way they treated him.

His departure was met with disdain by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

More recently, Trump expressed outrage at Mayor Bill de Blasio’s decision to paint “Black Lives Matter” on Fifth Avenue outside Trump Tower as part of a citywide art project.

He has called de Blasio the “worst mayor in the U.S.” and berated the city and state handling of the coronavirus pandemic, which killed nearly 32,000 New Yorkers as of Thursday afternoon.

Thursday’s comment followed a decision by the Supreme Court that essentially said Trump is not above the law and sent the request by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance back to the district court for further action.

Earlier he called the New York investigation a political witch hunt, accused Vance of prosecutorial misconduct and complained he is being treated badly.

Though the decision did not bar Vance from obtaining Trump’s tax returns, it and a companion opinion denying House Democrats access to Trump’s financial documents make it unlikely voters will get a peek at the president’s finances before the Nov. 3 general election.

He has been refusing to release his tax returns, blaming an ongoing Internal Revenue Service audit.

Trump challenged subpoenas for his tax returns, claiming he had immunity from investigation while in office. The justices rejected the argument in a 7-2 decision written by Chief Justice John Roberts and concurred with by Trump’s two appointees to the high court, Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh.

A New York grand jury is investigating criminal violations of New York law stemming from the hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal during the 2016 presidential campaign.