Lawmakers react as Donald Trump seemingly refers to himself with 'Long Live the King' post amid congestion pricing policy change

Donald Trump blocked the New York’s congestion pricing plan on February 19 after nearly a month at the Oval Office, as part of his second and final term. In the wake of the restrictions on the additional tolls, the U.S. President celebrated the federal government’s move and seemingly likened himself to royalty.

Taking to his social networking site Truth Social on Wednesday, he wrote:

“CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!”

In the wake of Donald Trump’s now-viral post, lawmakers are having diverse reactions. For instance, New York Governor Kathy Hochul spoke at the Grand Central Terminal, condemning the President’s post, as reported by The Guardian.

“President Donald Trump tweeted, ‘Long live the king.’ I’m here to say New York hasn’t labored under a king in over 250 years. And we sure as hell are not going to start now. In case you don’t know New Yorkers, we’re going to fight. We do not back down, not now, not ever,” the Governor stated.

She added that the toll collection system would continue like before.

Notably, the White House reposted Donald Trump’s quote on X alongside an image of him smiling on the AI-generated and fake cover of TIME Magazine while wearing a golden crown against the backdrop of NYC skyline.

The word “TRUMP” and “Long live the king” appeared on the top and bottom, respectively.

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Exploring lawmakers' responses in the wake of Donald Trump’s post and the new congestion pricing move

On Wednesday, Donald Trump’s Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy wrote a letter to New York Governor Kathy Hochul announcing that the federal government would now have jurisdiction over highways leading into Manhattan.

The correspondence also mentioned commuters from outside New York City faced an unfair burden of tolls.

As a result, the freshly blocked infrastructure would no longer require to pay toll of $9 from 5 am to 9 pm on weekdays and 9 am to 9 pm on weekends.

This were specifically meant for cars entering Manhattan’s central business district, from 60th Street to the Financial District.

Amid this, she responded with a public statement where she mentioned:

“We are a nation of laws, not ruled by a king. 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.”

Later, she even tweeted that Donald Trump isn't "king" and New Yorkers weren't "roadkill on his revenge tour," adding, she'll see him in "court."

Likewise, Janno Lieber, chairman and CEO of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), told the press he would fight the order in federal court and defended congestion pricing as beneficial.

“We tried gridlock for 60 years. It didn’t work. It cost our economy billions. But you know what’s helping our economy? What’s making New York a better place? Congestion pricing,” Lieber shared.

Meanwhile, Sean Duffy slammed the decision by Hochul, calling it “backwards and unfair.”

“New York State’s congestion pricing plan is a slap in the face to working-class Americans and small business owners. Commuters using the highway system to enter New York City have already financed the construction and improvement of these highways through gas taxes and other taxes," Duffy told NBC News.

Notably, Democratic Representative from New Jersey Josh Gottheimer hailed the move, calling it a “huge win” for families and the environment coming from outside the Big Apple.

Meanwhile, other lawmakers such as Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, Vice-chair of Democratic National Committee David Hogg, Democratic Representative of Virginia Don Beyer, and NYC council member Justin Brannan denounced the Donald Trump’s administration’s latest move against congestion pricing.

Brannan reshared Trump's post on X and captioned it:

“Doesn’t matter what [yo]u think of congestion pricing, federal government doesn’t get to make this decision. NY State passed a law, USDOT approved it. No matter what corrupt deal Donald Trump made with the Mayor, he isn’t king. Only fools concede to false power. It’s an illusion.”

Similarly, Beyer tweeted, "We don't have kings in the USA" while resharing the White House's post. Hogg, on the other hand, directly addressed Republicans and asked them to "stop overreacting and calling Trump a king" on the platform.

Pritzker, too, delivered a State address in which he reminded there aren't kings in the USA and he won't "bend to one."

He also mentioned his "oath" was to the "constitution" of the state of Illinois and the nation, as reported by The Guardian.