We’re still not 100 days into Trump’s second term, and the president has declared himself “king.” If the declaration was made to troll his enemies, it’s having the desired effect and then some. Amid widespread backlash, the thoroughly un-American statement has served as a rallying cry.
On Wednesday, Trump crowned himself on a post to his Truth Social account. “CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD,” he wrote. “Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!”
Related
Texas v Becerra is a huge assault on disability rights
The official White House social media account followed up with an AI-generated image of a mock Time magazine cover showing Trump with a crown on his head. In an utterly tone-deaf move last year, that same magazine named Trump “Person of the Year.”
Culture, unfiltered
Our newsletter will bring you the pulse of queer culture, from the tastemakers to the groundbreakers.
In his original post, Trump was referring to New York’s recently launched congestion pricing program designed to cut traffic on the Manhattan bridge and improve public transportation with a $9 toll. The program had only been instituted since January 5, yet Trump claimed that by going over state authorities to end it, he had “saved” New York.
The MTA has filed a lawsuit to halt Trump’s executive order, and New York Gov Kathy Hochul has vowed to fight the would-be 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,” the Hochul said in a press conference at Grand Central Station.
“The streets of the city where battles were fought, we stood up to a king, and we won then. In case you don’t know New Yorkers, when we’re in a fight, we do not back down — not now, not ever.”
On the same day, Trump reportedly referred to Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky as a “dictator” during a press talk in Florida. President Zelensky’s term was due to end last year, but elections in Ukraine have been suspended due to martial law over the ongoing invasion from Russia.
While Trump might be king in an AI fantasy, Americans in the real world aren’t having it.
Last week, Trump made similar claims to power. “He who saves his Country does not violate any Law,” he wrote on Truth Social, referencing a quote largely attributed to Napoleon. Trump’s latest statement likewise amounts to Napoleon grabbing the crown from the Pope and putting it on his own head during his coronation. It remains to be seen whether Trump knows how things ended for Napoleon.
Sign up for the INTO newsletter and get your twice-weekly dose of stories that shape the queer experience, culture, and lifestyle.
