NEW YORK/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Staten Island — the only city borough to vote for Donald Trump in the 2016 election — is talking secession again. The borough has a long history of wavering in its commitment to New York City. And the resurgent talk of withdrawing from New York City is feeding on distaste for Mayor Bill de Blasio and a sense that the chasm is growing between the center-right island and the Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez trajectory of New York City’s political leadership. Trump’s stoking of tribalism and anti-government furor is probably playing a role, too. Following the well-worn path of early-20th century Staten Island secession clubs and a late-20th century secession movement that quite nearly succeeded, City Council Member Joseph Borelli is lining up support for a bill to study the feasibility of ‘an independent city of Staten Island.’”
–Dana Rubenstein, “Staten Island, Trump’s New York redoubt, talks secession,” Politico, December 17, 2019 3:38 pm