Trump Calls Himself ‘The King’ While Tooting His Own Horn for Killing Controversial NYC Congestion Pricing

AP Photo/Evan Vucci

President Donald Trump crowned himself with a new title Wednesday as he gave himself credit for “saving” Manhattan from congestion traffic pricing, writing a Truth Social post in which he declared “LONG LIVE THE KING!”

Sean Duffy, who was nominated by Trump to serve as Transportation Secretary, sent a letter to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul voicing the president’s objections to the program, which imposes stiff tolls on drivers using highly trafficked Manhattan streets, with the funds going to upgrade public mass transit programs. The tolls began on January 5, charging most drivers $9 to take roads in Manhattan below 60th Street, where many popular tourist destinations like the Empire State Building and Times Square are located.

According to a report by The New York Times, Duffy’s letter told Hochul that federal officials would be reaching out to “discuss the orderly cessation of toll operations” — complying with Trump’s campaign promise to fight the congestion pricing policy. Among the issues cited in Duffy’s letter were the expense borne by working class drivers and using the toll revenue for public transit instead of road work, as was contemplated on the federal law that authorized the imposition of the tolls.

Duffy’s letter did not set a date for when the federal government would seek to end the congestion pricing program, and New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority has already filed a legal challenge seeking to keep the tolls in place.

Trump boasted about ending the program in a Truth Social post Wednesday, writing “CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!”

The White House’s official account posted a tweet quoting Trump’s words and adding an image meant to look like a magazine cover portraying Trump with a golden crown atop his head.

As for Hochul, the governor retorted with a statement she tweeted with a comment, “We are a nation of laws, not ruled by a king.”

Hochul’s statement vowed to defend the congestion pricing in court:

Public transit is the lifeblood of New York City and critical to our economic future – as a New Yorker, like President Trump, knows very well.

Since this first-in-the-nation program took effect last month, congestion has dropped dramatically and commuters are getting to work faster than ever.

Broadway shows are selling out and foot traffic to local businesses is spiking. School buses are getting kids to class on time, and yellow cab trips increased by 10 percent. Transit ridership is up, drivers are having a better experience, and support for this program is growing every day. We are a nation of laws, not ruled by a king. The MTA has initiated legal proceedings in the Southern District of New York to preserve this critical program. We’ll see you in court.