Donald Trump just pulled off another classic Trump move—nuking an unpopular tax, sending the left into hysterics, and trolling his critics all in one fell swoop. This time, it was New York City’s disastrous congestion pricing scheme, a cash grab that was bleeding working-class New Yorkers dry under the flimsy excuse of “reducing traffic.” But Trump stepped in, killed the tolls, and sent progressives into yet another meltdown. And to top it all off, he casually referred to himself as “king,” which, predictably, sent the usual suspects into full-blown panic mode.
Let’s start with the tolls. If you live in New York and actually work for a living, you’ve been getting robbed blind by this ridiculous tax. The idea was that by charging people extra to drive into lower Manhattan, traffic would magically disappear. In reality, it was just another way to squeeze money out of hard-working tradesmen, small business owners, and anyone who doesn’t have the luxury of hopping on a subway whenever they feel like it. It wasn’t cutting traffic—it was cutting into paychecks.
Paul Belli, a Brooklyn plumber, summed it up perfectly: “Nobody needs this. Everyone has high inflation they’re dealing with already.” Bingo. But of course, Governor Kathy Hochul and her cronies at the MTA weren’t concerned with how this actually affected regular people. They wanted their billions. And when the Trump administration’s Department of Transportation terminated the program, effectively shutting down the cash cow, Hochul had a total meltdown and immediately promised to sue. Because if there’s one thing Democrats love more than taxing people, it’s filing lawsuits when they don’t get their way.
HUGE news: @realDonaldTrump is CANCELLING Kathy Hochul’s NYC congestion tax!
Thank you, President Trump, for killing this unfair burden on hardworking New Yorkers.
Full statement from @ChairmanEdCox: pic.twitter.com/YssGJijmlr
— New York GOP (@NewYorkGOP) February 19, 2025
But the best part of this entire saga? Trump absolutely broke the left with his meme calling himself “king.” Never mind that it was likely a play on the phrase “King of New York” (which, frankly, isn’t far from the truth given how much of a legend he is in the city’s history)—the media and Democrats lost their minds. Hochul, who was already fuming over her toll money being yanked away, sniffed that “We are a nation of laws, not ruled by a king.” Oh, please.
“CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!”
–President Donald J. Trump pic.twitter.com/IMr4tq0sMB— The White House (@WhiteHouse) February 19, 2025
Meanwhile, CNN is probably running a week-long special about “Trump’s authoritarian ambitions,” and The View is no doubt preparing a full-scale meltdown, complete with Whoopi Goldberg hyperventilating and Joy Behar screeching about democracy being in danger. It’s all so predictable. Trump says something they can deliberately misinterpret, they go berserk, and he sits back and watches the show while actually getting things done.
We are a nation of laws, not ruled by a king. pic.twitter.com/PikwB5OwnM
— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) February 19, 2025
And while they’re busy hand-wringing over a meme, Trump continues slashing wasteful spending, cutting bloat from the federal government, and actually fighting for the people who have been getting crushed by Democrats’ failed policies. If this is what “kingship” looks like, then sign me up because at least someone is actually looking out for the people who make this country run.
So, to recap: Trump kills a regressive tax, trolls the left into another tantrum, and leaves Hochul scrambling to file yet another lawsuit that will inevitably go nowhere. Just another day in the life of Donald J. Trump.
