The far-left Governor of New York, Kathy Hochul, held a hysterical press conference in which she lashed out at President Donald Trump for moving to end New York City’s oppressive congestion pricing. During her rant, she compared the president to a king and vowed to oppose him at all costs.
For context, on February 19, 2025, the Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy wrote her a letter seeking to end the oppressive tolls on New York City Highways, which ranged from less than a dollar to over $35, depending on the congestion. The president has expressed concerns that these tolls negatively impact working-class Americans.
In any case, the Governor’s bizarre rant, which was posted the same day as the letter, featured melodramatic proclamations about Trump. She began, “At 1:01 pm today, the New York US Department of Transportation emailed us a letter from Secretary Duffy announcing their attempt to end the congestion pricing program in the state of New York. At 1:58 pm, President Donald Trump tweeted Long live the king.”
Continuing her theatrics, Hochul compared Trump to a monarch. She added, “I’m here to say York hasn’t labored under a king in over 250 years. We are not sure as hell. Are not going to start now, 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, we’re in a fight. We do not back down, not now, not ever.
The controversy began with Sean Duffy’s letter, emphasizing that the congestion charges had grown beyond their intended scope. He wrote, “Dear Governor Hochul: I am writing to you concerning the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) approval of the Central Business District (CBD) Tolling Program (CBDTP)… Under the agreement, the FHWA approved the CBDTP as an exception to the general rule prohibiting tolling on highways. Congress approved the VPPP exception in 1991 as a pilot to test congestion reduction techniques. New York is one of 15 States authorized to implement the program.”
Adding to the letter, Duffy stressed the impact of the charges on working people. The transportation secretary said, “I share the President’s concerns about the impacts to working class Americans who now have an additional financial burden to account for in their daily lives. Users of the highway network within the CBD tolling area have already financed the construction and improvement of these highways through the payment of gas taxes and other taxes.”
