Following an action on Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) seeking to limit New York City from carrying out a previously approved congestion pricing program, President Donald Trump bragged about the outcome on social media, calling himself a “king.”
This statement is the latest example of Trump expressing his desire to govern without any checks and balances — as well as his disrespect for the U.S. system of federalism, which grants local governments, in some cases, the right to enact their own laws.
DOT Secretary Sean Duffy announced the decision to rescind the program, justifying the move by claiming the program was “driven primarily by the need to raise revenue for the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) system as opposed to the need to reduce congestion.”
The program, which is still in place for now, had previously been authorized in November 2024 by the Biden administration. According to MTA chair Janno Lieber, the congestion pricing program is already “highly successful,” and has “dramatically reduced congestion, bringing reduced traffic and faster travel times, while increasing speeds for buses and emergency vehicles.”
Lieber said his agency planned to file a lawsuit against the Trump administration, arguing that the decision to rescind approval of the program would be an overreach by the White House.
Trump celebrated his administration’s moves by posting on Truth Social that they had somehow “SAVED” New York from the program. He also wrote, “LONG LIVE THE KING.”
Responding to his post, Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul defended the program, noting that “transit ridership is up, drivers are having a better experience, and support for this program is growing every day.”
The governor also directly addressed Trump’s autocratic statement: “We are a nation of laws, not ruled by a king,” Hochul said.
Afterward, the official White House Facebook page published an AI image of Trump wearing a crown, captioned “Long Live the King.”
Trump’s social media posts are just the latest example of him asserting broader executive branch powers, including the ability to take any action he wants while in office with little to no consequences — an assertion the conservative Supreme Court agreed in part with in an anti-democratic ruling issued last year.
Earlier this week, for example, Trump made a post in which he stated, “He who saves his Country does not violate any Law,” a quote often attributed to the French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. Critics decried the statement from Trump as indicative of his plans to ignore the rule of law in the future.
Legal experts are also worried that Trump may soon openly defy rulings from federal judges he disagrees with. Several allies of the president have suggested he should do as much, including Vice President J.D. Vance, who expressed his dubious belief earlier this month that “judges aren’t allowed to control the executive’s legitimate power.”
Trump also said in his first term in office that Article II of the U.S. Constitution, which deals with the presidency itself, enabled him to assert almost king-like powers while in office.
“I have an Article II, where I have to the right to do whatever I want as president,” Trump said, a statement that legal experts have denounced as both false and alarming.
Observers objected to Trump’s most recent social media post.
“I just want any Republican to imagine, just for a moment, if Obama or Biden had tweeted out ‘Long live the King!’ about ANYTHING,” said Ben Amey, a former New York State-based journalist. “Right-wing news would have been apocalyptic.”
“Does this officially make him a *royal* pain in the ass?” Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-Rhode Island) asked on X.
Referencing an apparent “quid pro quo” deal that the Trump administration has made with New York City Mayor Eric Adams, New York city council member Justin Brannan similarly blasted Trump’s statement.
“No matter what corrupt deal Donald Trump made with the Mayor, he isn’t king. Only fools concede to false power,” Brannan wrote on X. “It’s an illusion.”
Importantly, the U.S. Constitution forbids any individual in the United States from becoming a monarch.
“No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States,” the document states.
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