Trump Asserts Power Over NYC and Proclaims ‘Long Live the King’

New York City’s elite have never shown much love for Donald Trump, turning their noses up at what they considered his tacky real estate developments, gauche reality television show and right-wing political movement. Now, he’s getting his revenge.

The president is reveling in his moves to assert control over the mayor’s office, the city’s transit system and federal prosecutors operating in lower Manhattan. His latest show of power — blocking a congestion pricing program for vehicles that had been in the works for years — quickly led to boasts on social media.

“CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Wednesday. “LONG LIVE THE KING!”

In case anyone missed his point, the White House press office followed up by sending out an image of Trump wearing a crown, with New York’s skyline in the background.

Trump and his Make America Great Again movement have roiled the world in the first few weeks of his second administration — sending shockwaves through Ukraine, Germany and Panama, to name a few — and upended domestic policies tied to immigration, diversity and health care. But the Queens-born Republican has also shown a particularly specific interest in the local policies of New York, using the power of the executive branch to assert influence over the US financial capital where he made his name.

“He’s obsessed with NYC,” said Claudia Granados, a Democratic political consultant, noting that years of controversial business dealings and “alienating” policies left the family unwelcome in the city. “Psychologically it tortures him not to be liked.”

Still, Trump looms large over New York, where he became synonymous with wealth and power in the 1980s. His Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue remains an iconic part of the cityscape and is a tourist destination. He still has family ties to the city, with his son Barron attending New York University. He has gained support among residents, winning about 30% of the November vote, a seven-point jump from 2020.

Trump Tower in New York

Photographer: Jeenah Moon/Bloomberg

New York Representative Mike Lawler, a Republican, praised Trump’s move to end congestion pricing. “This is a huge win for New York families, commuters, and small businesses,” he said in a statement.

And notably, the president has had a cordial relationship with Mayor Eric Adams, who has visited the Mar-a-Lago compound and attended the inauguration.

Now, the city’s leadership is in chaos after Trump’s Justice Department ordered the US Attorney in Manhattan to drop its corruption charges against Adams. That’s led to a string of resignations at both City Hall and the US Attorney’s office, which has been forced to reckon with a challenge to its long-held independence from Washington.

“The idea of his ability to meddle in the politics of the largest city in the country and to meddle in the affairs of the second-hardest job in politics outside of the presidency — which is the mayor of New York, right — that probably delights him,” Jake Dilemani, a Democratic political consultant, said of Trump.

‘Not Subservient’

Courts are set to decide on the Justice Department’s effort to dismiss the case against Adams, who has pleaded not guilty to charges that he accepted illegal campaign donations and took luxury travel upgrades in exchange for political favors to the Turkish government. Critics say the dismissal was a quid pro quo in exchange for the mayor’s assistance in helping facilitate Trump’s crackdown on migrants, which Adams and the Justice Department have both denied.

On Wednesday, US District Judge Dale Ho heard arguments from Adams’ lawyer and a Justice Department official to determine whether to sign off on the dismissal. Ho ended the hearing without a ruling, saying he would carefully consider the arguments.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul, who has the power to remove Adams, is facing pressure to act and met with city leaders to discuss a way forward. Then another bombshell came her way: The Federal Highway Administration announced Wednesday that it would withdraw an agreement that allowed the state-run Metropolitan Transportation Authority to impose tolls on drivers entering some of Manhattan’s busiest streets.

The $9 charge was set to raise some $15 billion to modernize subway signals and improve public transit. US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy called it “a slap in the face to working-class Americans and small business owners.”

Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella praised Trump’s move, calling the tolls “an unnecessary and burdensome tax” for his constituents.

E-ZPass readers and license plate-scanning cameras at Columbus Circle in New York, on Jan. 3.

Photographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg

“To bring an end to the program is the right thing not just for Staten Island but for the city as a whole,” he said in a statement.

Hochul accused the president of infringing on the state’s rights and herself invoked a comparison to a monarch during a press conference Wednesday, saying “I don’t care if you love congestion pricing or hate it. This is an attack on our sovereign identity, our independence from Washington.”

“New York hasn’t labored under a king in over 250 years,” Hochul said.

The MTA quickly sued Duffy and the FHWA in federal court, calling efforts to halt the program illegal. Janno Lieber, the MTA’s chief executive officer, said the tolling program would remain in effect until there is a court decision on the matter.

“The US Department of Transportation has a heavy burden to convince a court that its 180-degree reversal of its previous position approving congestion pricing is based on new factual information and not simply a change in administrations,” Eric A. Goldstein, an attorney at Natural Resources Defense Council, said in a statement Wednesday.

A Siena College poll from December found that only 32% of New York City residents supported the congestion pricing plan that came into effect the next month. The union representing New York City’s firefighters praised Trump’s efforts to block the plan, saying it unfairly penalizes workers who live in the outer boroughs and commute to Manhattan.

“We are all happy that the president has put an end to this tax on the law abiding commuters that the MTA targeted,” Andrew Ansbro, president of the Uniformed Firefighters Association, said in a statement.

But a recent Morning Consultant survey also found that about 6 of 10 voters said Trump should allow the tolling program to continue.

In a city that’s still heavily liberal, Trump’s increased involvement should rally local Democrats, said Camille Rivera, a Democratic political consultant.

“Our city is under siege and they need to step up,” she said. “We’re always at a wait-and-see approach. We can’t do this anymore.”

--With assistance from Ava Benny-Morrison.

To contact the reporters on this story:
Zach Williams in Arlington at zwilliams61@bloomberg.net;
Michelle Kaske in New York at mkaske@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story:
Pratish Narayanan at pnarayanan9@bloomberg.net;
Katia Porzecanski at kporzecansk1@bloomberg.net

Brendan Walsh, Kara Wetzel

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