Palm Beach County seeks way to end lease with Trump golf course

A Florida county is seeking to find a way to end its lease with one of President Trump’s golf courses. 

Chief assistant county attorney Howard Falcon told The Palm Beach Post that an unnamed county commissioner on Wednesday asked him if it was possible for the county to terminate its lease with the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach.

“My initial reaction is it would be a stretch,” said Falcon, according to the Post. The Trump Organization pays $88,338 a month to rent the property in Florida. 

A lawyer for Trump’s golf course said there would be “no basis for canceling the lease,” according to the news source. 

The contract between President Trump and the county does not contain a “bad boy” clause, according to Falcon. Such a clause allows a contract to be canceled if there is bad behavior from the tenet that is laid out in the contract. This behavior normally includes fraud or criminal matters, according to the Post.

Trump has used his West Palm Beach golf course to golf with foreign diplomats and members of Congress and his administration. 

The county is seeking termination of the contract after the Capitol riot on Jan. 6 that left five dead, including a Capitol Police officer. Before the violent mob descended on the Capitol, Trump gave a speech from the White House Ellipse encouraging his supporters to gather at the building to demand Congress stop the count to certify President-elect Joe Biden’s Electoral College win. 

The riots that ensued damaged parts of the building and caused Vice President Pence and members of Congress to evacuate from their respective chambers to undisclosed locations. 

News from the count comes as several entities — both private and public — have sought to cut ties with the Trump Organization. PGA of America decided not to host its championship event at one of Trump’s golf courses in Bedminster, N.J. 

Several banks that have done business with the president are distancing themselves, New York City is trying to end contracts with the Trump Organization and Shopify has taken Trump’s official store off its platform.