President Donald Trump seemingly gave in to his autocratic impulses with a social media post referring to himself as a monarch on Wednesday.
He wrote to congratulate himself on his administration’s move to end New York City’s congestion pricing plan, which was implemented last month to reduce traffic and raise money for the city’s crumbling public transit system.
“CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The congestion plan has been the source of some controversy in the city, with its opposition led by conservatives.
“We are a nation of laws, not ruled by a king,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) said in a statement. “The MTA has initiated legal proceedings in the Southern District of New York to preserve this critical program.”
“We’ll see you in court,” she added.
White House deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich leaned into the “king” comment, posting on X an AI-generated image of Trump draped in ermine, wearing a crown. The official White House X account similarly posted a fake Time magazine cover with a crowned Trump and the headline, “LONG LIVE THE KING.”
Trump’s missive comes just three days after suggesting in another social media post that laws do not apply to him.
“He who saves his Country violates no Law,” Trump wrote Sunday, borrowing a quote attributed to Napoleon. The president has long exhibited a fascination with autocrats and dictators whose power stands in clear conflict with the democratic principles outlined in the U.S. Constitution.
Earlier Wednesday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy sent Hochul a letter to notify her that the agency was revoking the Federal Highway Administration’s approval for the plan.
Since Jan. 5, the city has been charging drivers a $9 fee to use roads south of 60th Street in Manhattan, although drivers are not charged if they only use the highways that ring the island borough.
Duffy said the plan was “a slap in the face to working class Americans and small business owners” who use cars instead of the city’s 24-hour subway and bus system. He argued that tolls exacted for the purpose of raising funds for public transit violate federal law.
The city has been offering limited exceptions to the tolls for low-income individuals and people with disabilities that make it difficult to use public transit. Data from New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority suggests the $9 fee has reduced the amount of vehicles on surface roads and improved commute times.
Earlier this month, when Trump voiced his intent to undermine the congestion plan, Hochul said she wanted to speak with the president.
“I want to collect data. The president is data-driven. He knows the city, he knows congestion in front of Trump Tower is not good, and I’m going to be able to point to some very positive benefits of it,” Hochul told reporters. “So, I will do my very best is all I’m going to say on that topic, so wish me well.”
Duffy said in his letter to the governor that the Federal Highway Administration would contact New York’s transportation department to “discuss the orderly cessation of toll operations under this terminated pilot project.”
Conservatives, alongside right-wing outlets like the New York Post, have long sought to derail the congestion pricing plan. They almost succeeded over the summer, when Hochul abruptly opted to pause a plan to impose $15 tolls, but she revived it with a reduced rate in November.