Trump called Amazon's abrupt New York HQ2 cancellation a 'big loss' and blamed the 'radical left' for the outcome (AMZN)

Donald Trump New York

President Donald Trump called Amazon's decision not to move forward with its HQ2 plans in the Long Island City neighborhood of Queens a "big loss for New York City."
"It's the kind of thinking that our country is going to on the left, on the radical left," Trump said at a press conference on Friday. "But, ultimately, it's not good for jobs and it's not good for the economy."
Many New York politicians and local activists pushed back on Amazon's plans to open part of its second headquarters in Long Island City, Queens, citing concerns that HQ2 could increase homelessness rates, send rents skyrocketing, paralyze public transportation, and create other problems for residents.

President Donald Trump is blaming the "radical left" for Amazon's decision to ditch New York as the site of its second quarters.

In a press conference on Friday, Trump said that Amazon's decision not to go ahead with its HQ2 plans in the Long Island City neighborhood of Queens is a "big loss for New York City."

"If you look at the deal, the deal was not a great deal ... they could have made a better deal than that — a much better deal," Trump said. "But still, I think it's a loss for New York City."

Trump noted that the $3 billion in tax breaks that were offered to Amazon were not a check, but instead money that would be offered over a period of time as the company provided jobs and taxes in the area.

The president additionally blamed progressive critics of Amazon for the outcome.

"It's the kind of thinking that our country is going to on the left, on the radical left," Trump said. "But, ultimately, it's not good for jobs and it's not good for the economy."

"I come from New York City," Trump added. "I love New York City."

Last week, Amazon announced it would not move forward with plans to build a headquarters in the Long Island City neighborhood of Queens.

Amazon said it made the decision because "a number of state and local politicians have made it clear that they oppose our presence and will not work with us to build the type of relationships that are required to go forward with the project."

Amazon's plans raised concerns that the second headquarters could increase homelessness rates, send rents skyrocketing, paralyze public transportation, and create other problems for residents. As a result, many New York politicians and local activists spoke out against Amazon's HQ2 plans over the last few months.

"Amazon is a billion-dollar company," Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who represents parts of Queens and the Bronx, tweeted in November. "The idea that it will receive hundreds of millions of dollars in tax breaks at a time when our subway is crumbling and our communities need MORE investment, not less, is extremely concerning to residents here."

"Offering massive corporate welfare from scarce public resources to one of the wealthiest corporations in the world at a time of great need in our state is just wrong," the City Council member Jimmy Van Bramer and state Sen. Michael Gianaris, each of whom represents Long Island City, said in a scathing joint statement.

"We were not elected to serve as Amazon drones," they added.

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