New York’s progressive political class melted down this week after President Donald Trump and his administration finally pulled the plug on one of the most unpopular schemes Albany has ever inflicted on working Americans: congestion pricing.
Just hours after Trump’s Transportation Secretary, Sean Duffy, formally notified New York that the Federal Highway Administration was rescinding its approval for congestion pricing, Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul erupted in an angry, theatrical tirade. The president himself soon followed with a blunt and characteristically Trumpian declaration on social media: congestion pricing was dead. “Long live the king,” he wrote — a line that sent Hochul into full-blown political hysteria.
Rather than address why everyday commuters were furious about being taxed simply for driving to work, Hochul framed Trump’s decision as an existential crisis for New York. “I don’t care if you love congestion pricing or hate it,” she snapped. “This is an attack on our sovereign identity, our independence from Washington.”
In an especially overwrought moment, Hochul bizarrely invoked Alexander Hamilton, suggesting that America’s Founders fought so that New York could slap toll cameras on drivers without federal oversight. She also took offense at Trump’s tongue-in-cheek “king” comment, insisting that New Yorkers would never be “subservient” to anyone in Washington — a rich claim from a governor who has embraced federal power whenever it suits her agenda.
Until now, Hochul had tried to portray herself as measured and cooperative with the Trump administration, repeatedly claiming she didn’t want to “poke the bear.” That restraint evaporated instantly once Washington stepped in to stop her cash grab. “The bear’s been poked,” she told reporters, dramatically shifting into resistance-mode rhetoric.
In perhaps the most cringe-worthy moment of the press conference, Hochul compared herself to the hero of Rambo: First Blood, declaring, “Someone draws first blood, you respond.” According to Hochul, Trump didn’t just challenge congestion pricing — he “came after” New York itself.
Her fury comes just days after the Justice Department sued New York over its so-called “Green Light” law, which allows illegal aliens to obtain driver’s licenses while blocking immigration authorities from accessing DMV data. Instead of reflecting on why federal officials might see that as a public safety problem, Hochul doubled down with more defiance.
She even claimed she called President Trump to confront him, asking whether he planned to “slap handcuffs” on her — a remark that drew attention less for substance and more for its performative outrage. Not content with words alone, Hochul held up a fake Time magazine cover featuring Trump wearing a crown, underscoring how detached the press conference had become from the real concerns of commuters, taxpayers, and crime-weary New Yorkers.
Her closing line summed it all up. Despite federal orders to shut down congestion pricing enforcement, Hochul vowed, “The cameras stay on.”
For conservatives, the episode was yet another example of blue-state leadership prioritizing ideology, theatrics, and power struggles over common sense. Trump ended an unfair tax on workers and small businesses. Hochul responded with props, movie quotes, and tantrums — proving once again why New York keeps losing residents, jobs, and credibility under one-party rule.
