New York artist launches agency to decide who qualifies as a “real New Yorker”

A new art project is issuing official-looking certificates to determine who deserves to be called a “real New Yorker,” and its first high-profile decision was to revoke President Donald Trump’s status.

The Department of New Yorker Verification was created by Franz Aliquo, a Queens-born artist raised on Roosevelt Island. Aliquo said Trump lost his certificate because of his repeated criticism of New York City, including its diversity and residents.

“He is, probably at this point, the most famous New Yorker there is,” Aliquo said, explaining his decision. “For all those reasons, disrespecting the city itself, I feel like he is definitely the most visible New Yorker that does not deserve to be a New Yorker.”

The project offers two paths to certification. Applicants born and raised in New York can submit documents such as a birth certificate or high school diploma and answer questions about the city. Those who moved there later can complete a questionnaire and earn points for experiences such as crying in public, encountering rats in their apartments or enduring a blizzard.

Aliquo said the project explores the debate over who gets to claim New York as home. While Trump became the first person to have his certificate revoked, Aliquo said Mayor Zohran Mamdani had earned the title despite being born outside the United States. He also suggested that Jennifer Lopez could be at risk of losing her status.