Donald Trump Calls Himself King, White House Doubles Down with Meme of President Wearing a Crown, Igniting Firestorm of Criticism
We all know how this works. Donald Trump does or says something that shows a contempt for the constitutional provision restricting a president to two terms in office. His political opponents flip out. His supporters mock the critics. And a week later, the dance will begin again.
On Wednesday, Trump posted on Truth Social, “CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!”
The official White House account later shared a meme on X showing a smiling photo Trump, crown on his head, superimposed over the New York City skyline.
The president was referring to a program which imposes stiff tolls on drivers using highly trafficked Manhattan streets, with the funds redirected to upgrade public mass transit programs.
The tolls began on Jan. 5, charging most drivers $9 to take roads in Manhattan below 60th Street that lead to popular tourist sites like the Empire State Building and Times Square. The Transportation Department announced this week that it will seek to rescind federal approval of the tolls program.
But it was his self-designation as a monarch that got most of the attention. That’s to be expected when you have a president who routinely flouts norms and openly does or says things that reveal a contempt for the constitutional order.
Just two days ago, Trump issued an executive order declaring, “Only the president or the attorney general can speak for the United States when stating an opinion as to what the law is.”
Cue the critics:
“As soon as the **official @WhiteHouse account** retweeted it and added a picture of him wearing a crown, it stopped being a joke and became a threat,” fretted one X user.
“Trump will never be King just like this place will never be X,” wrote one commenter on the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
Added another anti-Trumper, quoting a character from “Game of Thrones”: “Any man who must say, ‘I am the king’ is no true king.” —Tywin Lannister
One X user wonders would’ve happened if a certain predecessor made the same pronouncement.
“Everyone saying, “Clearly Trump is joking with the, ‘LONG LIVE THE KING‘ part”, would have spontaneously combusted if for example, President Obama, had made the same, “joke,” the user wrote. “Everyone that didn’t catch fire would’ve been marching on the White House, and y’all know it.”
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul stated the obvious in a press release following Trump’s announcement: “We are a nation of laws, not ruled by a king,” adding that 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.
The city’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority has initiated legal proceedings in the Southern District of New York to preserve the program, Hochul said.
Justin Brannan, a New York City council member, suspected Eric Adams may have had a hand in the congestion pricing program’s impending demise, citing the recent decision by the Trump Justice Department ordering prosecutors to drop their federal corruption case against New York City’s mayor.
“Doesn’t matter what you 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,” Brannan wrote on X.
Now, for the defenders celebrating another successful presidential troll:
“Trump is trolling tf out of these liberals,” wrote one, captioning Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker defiantly vowing not to “bend a knee” to the president.
“ALL HAIL KING TRUMP!! Greatest troll of all time!!!” enthused another MAGA fan, with the X handle of @SuckItVileLibs.
“President Trump is the Troll King!! The amount of people on here melting down is hysterical!!” opined LONG LIVE THE KING”
One X user sympathetic to their concerns cautioned Democrats against overreacting while reminding them of Trump’s true intentions.
“So Trump says he’s “The King”. Those of us who have seen this show before knows exactly what he’s doing. He says something that he knows will trigger his detractors. While they are distracted chewing on the never ending supply of fresh red meat, he’s making moves,” the commenter wrote.
“For the next two days the his political rivals and media talking heads will be exploding over Trump playing off a Time magazine cover crowning him King and then… BAM. Breaking news!! He comes through on another campaign promise,” he continued. “His detractors never have a moment to strategize. They just continue running around to put their finger in a hole to keep their dam from breaking. He’s playing chess. Dems are playing checkers. It’s that simple.”
