We’re not going to say we told you so but we told you so. Authoritarianism is a real thing. Unfamiliar? Move to Russia or Belarus or Venezuela or China and get a dose of it then let us know what you prefer. Yea, so, ICYMI, President Donald Trump has ignited a firestorm of backlash following a controversial statement in which he referred to himself as a “king.” The remark came on Wednesday as Trump applauded his administration’s decision to halt New York City’s congestion pricing program.
“CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED,” Trump declared on his Truth Social platform. “LONG LIVE THE KING!” His proclamation was quickly shared by official White House social media accounts across X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook, each post featuring an image of Trump smiling in a suit with a bejeweled golden crown, captioned with “LONG LIVE THE KING.”
The posts immediately drew widespread criticism, with many accusing Trump of overstepping his authority since his second term began a month ago. This move follows a string of executive actions, including directives that have faced legal challenges. In one of his recent orders, Trump instructed the Department of Justice to fire “ALL remaining ‘Biden Era’ U.S. Attorneys,” while another executive action sought to grant him exclusive power to interpret the law for independent agencies like the SEC and FCC.
Further fueling the controversy, the White House circulated a statement from Trump on Saturday that appeared to assert his supremacy: “He who saves his Country does not violate any law.”
We told you so. We told you so. We told you so. No go write that 100 times like Bart Simpson in the opening titles of The Simpsons.
The phrase “LONG LIVE THE KING” quickly became a trending topic on X, sparking widespread debate. Critics, including New York Governor Kathy Hochul, were quick to respond. “I’m here to say: New York hasn’t labored under a king in over 250 years and we are not — we sure as hell are not going to start now,” Hochul remarked during a press conference. “The streets of this city, where battles were fought, we stood up to a king and we won then and we will. In case you don’t know New Yorkers, when we’re in a fight, we don’t back down, not now, not ever.”
Long
Live
The
King … Murica, ya’ll.
Get this, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker also took to X to emphasize his allegiance to the Constitution, stating, “We don’t have kings in America, and I won’t bend the knee to one.”
While many political figures criticized to put things lightly about Trump’s remarks, some of his supporters embraced the idea. Of course they did. Drones. White House Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich even posted an AI-generated image of Trump dressed as a king. However, some of his own followers expressed discomfort with this imagery, unsure of the implications of such a proclamation.
Trump’s “king” comment is just the latest in a series of eyebrow-raising, wild and ridiculous posts from the White House’s official social media. Recently, they shared a controversial ASMR-style video related to deportation, and a Valentine’s Day post featuring a poem about deportation that was widely criticized.
Four more years of this or who knows maybe indefinitely. Enjoy.