By Molly Goddard
7:21am PST, Feb 20, 2025
Earlier in the day, the
White House's official X, formerly known as Twitter, account sent out a message — alongside a faux magazine cover depicting Trump as a monarch — reading, "CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!"
The bold statement had the left-wing journalist speechless. "I'm sparing you what was attached underneath those utterly insane words. It was a deeply perverse rendition of Donald Trump on what was designed to appear to be a fake
TIME magazine cover with him wearing a gold crown that he imagines kings wear every day," he said.
The businessman's employees praised him as he "terminated" the pricing program that was approved at the local, state and federal levels, which went into effect last month.
O'Donnell called out people on the right for not condemning Trump's "king" comment, claiming it was strange because they "will constantly tell you that
government is best when left to the state and local officials, especially on health-care issues or education, for example."
"None of those
Republicans objected today about Donald Trump interfering in the most local possible issue: traffic jams," the host added.
O'Donnell went on to explain how he's personally seen improvement in the Big Apple since the pricing took effect. "A miracle was upon us: I got into a car in lower Manhattan and speeded up to Midtown on the FDR Drive at the highway speeds that road was designed to allow for, for the first time in my life," he recalled. "The ride that normally would take at least 45 minutes took 20."
"Most people in New York politics breathed a huge sigh of relief, realizing that not only had the plan worked exactly as intended — even better than intended by breaking gridlock — but it could end up being the most popular thing they've ever done," O'Donnell claimed.
However, because it was a motion of the previous administration, it's no wonder
The Apprentice star struck it down. "President
[Joe] Biden signed off on the federal government's OK for New York City's congestion pricing plan last year," the newscaster explained.
"And today at 2:31 P.M., Donald Trump announced that 'the king' was ending it all — or trying to end it… the only new thing ever devised to reduce traffic in New York City in Donald Trump's entire 78 years of life," O'Donnell pointed out.
New York Governor
Kathy Hochul also responded to Trump during a press conference at Grand Central Station. "I'm here to say New York hasn't labored under a king in over 250 years," she made clear. "We sure as h— are not going to start now."
