- Sign up HERE to our DC Insider newsletter - your guide to what's rocking Washington, rattling the White House and setting tongues wagging on the Hill
Donald Trump ripped a Zohran Mamdani-supported bill that passed the New York City Council Thursday to ban its famous horse-drawn carriages.
asserted
that → sign → carriages
The horse-drawn carriages that have cruised through Central Park for more than 150 years will soon be banished from the Big Apple, ending an iconic tradition beloved by tourists but long opposed by animal welfare activists.
Trump criticized the New York City Council Thursday for passing the Mamdani bill by a 40-7 margin in a Truth Social post.
'So sad to see the beloved Central Park Horse-drawn Carriage Industry ending after over a century, based largely on one tragic accident,' Trump, a New York native, said.
asserted
Trump → draw → accident
Trump is referring to 18-year-old Indian tourist, Romanch Mahajan, who died after jumping from a runaway carriage during a ride.
asserted
who → refer → ride
His death appeared to be the first fatality involving a horse carriage in Central Park since the rides began.
asserted
rides → appear → Park
'When there is a car accident in the area, of which there are many, they don't stop cars from entering the park.
asserted
they → be → park
So why would they stop the carriages?' Trump said.
asserted
Trump → stop → carriages
Another piece of history that's gone.
asserted
that → go → history
It will be missed!,' he added.
asserted
he → miss → ?
Trump issued another post after the vote saying that the decision was made 'for political reasons' and called it sad that 'a quintessential New York experience' was going away.
asserted
experience → issue → it
Donald Trump ripped a Zohran Mamdani-supported bill that passed the New York City Council Thursday to ban its famous horse-drawn carriages
Trump criticized the New York City Council Thursday for passing the Mamdani bill by a 40-7 margin in a Truth Social post
The Daily Mail has reached out to both Mamdani and New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin for comment.
asserted
Mail → rip → comment
The New York City Council passed a bill Thursday that would ban horse-drawn carriage rides by June 2028, pulling back the reins after the death of Mahajan last spring.
asserted
that → pass → Mahajan
The legislation requires Mayor Zohran Mamdani's office to develop a plan by next April to help the more than 150 remaining drivers and the rest of the industry find other jobs, though its provisions are vague and doesn't set clear benchmarks for displaced workers.
asserted
provisions → require → workers
Instead, it requires City Hall to come up with a program that includes job referrals, career counseling and educational opportunities.
asserted
that → require → referrals
It also allows the administration to consider some form of compensation for industry workers.
asserted
administration → allow → workers
The mayor's office has been working on a workforce transition program and has started discussions on potential compensation, according to City Hall.
uncertain
office → work → Hall
'The mayor will sign this bill, and the Mamdani administration is working every day to ensure we can do so while providing the strongest possible protections for the owners and workers in this industry,' a spokesperson for the mayor said after the Council's vote.
asserted
spokesperson → sign → vote
Council Speaker Julie Menin 'will remain engaged in the transition process,' a spokesperson said, adding that the legislation seeks to address the longstanding question of what happens to out-of-work carriage drivers by setting a firm deadline for City Hall to act.
'
asserted
Hall → remain → deadline
These workers deserve to be protected,' said Menin, who helped spearhead the ban and has argued horses no longer have a place among Central Park's pedestrians, cyclists, dog-walkers and gawking tourists.
asserted
horses → deserve → pedestrians
The horse-drawn carriages that have cruised through Central Park for more than 150 years will soon be banished from the Big Apple, ending an iconic tradition beloved by tourists but long opposed by animal welfare activists
New York City Council member Christopher Marte addresses during a vote by New York City Council members on Romanch's Law, legislation that would phase out horse-drawn carriages in Central Park
Speaker of the New York City Council Julie Menin addresses during the vote
The union representing carriage drivers had vowed to file a legal challenge 'the minute the ink dries' on the legislation.
asserted
ink → draw → legislation
Betsy Smith, the head of the Central Park Conservancy, the nonprofit which operates the park, cheered the passage of the bill.
asserted
which → operate → bill
'In the modern era, carriages pose a serious - and even fatal - safety risk to Park visitors, carriage drivers, and the horses themselves,' she said in a statement.
asserted
she → pose → statement
Two of Mamdani's mayoral predecessors had called to end the industry but neither succeeded.
asserted
neither → call → industry
Former Mayor Bill de Blasio campaigned on ending the rides on day one of his administration but the effort wilted amid a backlash from unions and a big media blitz involving actor Liam Neeson.
asserted
effort → campaign → Neeson
Eric Adams, the mayor just before Mamdani, floated a ban late in his term but the proposal went nowhere.
asserted
proposal → float → term
The latest push began in June after the death of Mahajan, whose family has personally appealed to the city to end the rides, offering tearful testimony that they thought the rides were safe.
asserted
rides → begin → testimony
His uncle, Gaurav Mahajan, praised the proposal during a rally Thursday, saying 'the hour of justice has finally arrived,' as he stood beside local lawmakers and animal welfare activists.
Family members of Romanch Mahajan attend a vote by New York City Council members on Romanch's Law
asserted
members → praise → Law
The latest push began in June after the death of Mahajan, whose family has personally appealed to the city to end the rides, offering tearful testimony that they thought the rides were safe
'
asserted
rides → begin → testimony
We're turning our shattering loss into an unbreakable shield of kindness for the city.
asserted
We → turn → city
For months, our family hasn't been allowed to just grieve,' he said.
asserted
he → allow → months
'We've had to fight.
asserted
We → have → ?
We've had to channel our devastating sorrow into a war for change.'
asserted
We → have → change
Carriage drivers have expressed sympathy for Mahajan and his family but argue that they are being unfairly targeted because of a single accident.
asserted
they → express → accident
'It does nothing for alternate employment, for the continuation of our businesses,' said Christina Hansen, a longtime carriage driver and industry spokesperson.
asserted
Hansen → do → businesses
The Aporia
