The President of the United States, Donald Trump, proclaimed himself "king" on Wednesday, as he praised his administration's attempt to halt federal approval of New York's "congestion pricing."
Congestion pricing is a toll on automobiles that was implemented one month ago in order to raise funds for the region's obsolete mass transport system, as the New York Post reported.
Sean Duffy, the Secretary of Transportation, wrote a letter to Kathy Hochul, the Governor of New York, stating that the federal government had control over roadways that led to Manhattan and that the additional tolls posed an unjust hardship for vehicles who were traveling outside of the city.
The prospective elimination of congestion charging was something that President Trump hailed as a triumph, going so far as to compare himself to royalty on Truth Social.
"CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!" he wrote on social media.
Within the framework of the system, the majority of vehicles that entered Manhattan's central business area were required to pay a peak cost of $9 between the hours of 5 a.m. and 9 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. on weekends.
This fee was applicable from 60th Street all the way down to the southern edge of the Financial area.
This change wasn't welcomed by the New York governor's office, a group that historically has gained much from increased collections on toll roads.
Hochul firmly stated at a news conference held not long after the announcement by the Trump administration that the toll cameras will continue to operate and criticized Trump.
"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," she told reporters at Grand Central Terminal in New York City. "And we sure as hell are not going to start now."
According to Duffy, the tolls, which were imposed on traffic heading to Manhattan, were "backwards and unfair."
“New York State’s congestion pricing plan is a slap in the face to working class Americans and small business owners,” he said in statement: “Commuters using the highway system to enter New York City have already financed the construction and improvement of these highways through the payment of gas taxes and other taxes."
Others in power outside of Manhattan have applauded the Trump administration's move to terminate the program, claiming that the program unfairly taxes their drivers.
“Today is a huge win for Jersey families, their wallets, and the environment," Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., said in statement. "From Day One, when we first started this fight, we knew that the Congestion Tax was just a giant cash grab for New York and the MTA — all on the backs of hardworking Jersey families."
