A lawsuit has been filed to halt the land transfer by the Florida state government that will enable the construction of President Trump’s planned skyscraper presidential library.
Politico reports two of the plaintiffs live near the planned high-rise building and complained that the library would “compromise” their views and “materially worsen the living conditions in their neighborhood.” A third plaintiff is the nonprofit Dunn’s Overtown Farm, which wants to acquire the 2.63-acre site to create an urban farm, as well as a student in urban farming and nonprofit management.
The plaintiffs are being represented by the Constitutional Accountability Center and Miami-based law firm Gelber Schachter & Greenberg, who noted that Trump envisioned the project as a hotel “with a beautiful building underneath and a 747 Air Force One in the lobby.”
“These statements, individually and collectively, make clear that President Trump intends to monetize this skyscraper, generating significant profit for himself and his family,” the lawsuit alleged, adding that “the ‘TRUMP’ lettering at the top of the rendered skyscraper is identical to The Trump Organization’s logo and the signage used on Trump hotel properties across the world, including the Trump International Hotel & Tower in Chicago and the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas.”
The lawsuit also claims the land transfer violates the Emoluments Clause of the US Constitution, which prevents a president from accepting gifts, payments or other benefits from state, federal or foreign entities beyond an official salary. The land designated for the presidential library was first transferred by Miami Dade College to the state, with Gov. Ron DeSantis then gifting it to Trump’s library foundation.
White House spokesperson Davis Ingle responded to an inquiry on the lawsuit by praising Trump as “one of the most consequential and successful presidents in American history” and “a leader who has fought tirelessly to deliver for the forgotten men and women of this country and Make America Great Again. The Trump Presidential Library will be one of the most magnificent buildings in the world, and a living testament to the indelible impact President Trump has made on America and its people.”
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