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We can talk all day about how Donald Trump is an authoritarian ruler who adheres to the law just enough to keep the wolves at bay, but what will we do when the man decides that the wolves aren’t worth fearing anymore? Or starts calling himself a “king?”
A few years ago, that statement alone would’ve prompted anyone to immediately close this tab for clickbait, but you’ve certainly seen many stranger things in this absurd, borderline comical timeline we live in these days. Yes, Trump actually referred to himself as a king recently while celebrating another of his disruptive acts. No, he wasn’t being ironic, or otherwise, the official X account for The White House wouldn’t have posted yet another AI-generated image showing Trump with a crown on his head. No, this isn’t a dream, but it certainly has all the makings of a nightmare.
It has exactly been one month since Trump stepped into the Oval Office and picked up the mantle of the 47th President of the United States, but sometimes it feels like the whole country has been flipped upside down and given a good shake. Such is the extent of his onslaught that we have trouble keeping up with all the changes he’s bringing about — mostly for the worse. Trump wakes up one day and signs an unconstitutional executive order giving unprecedented power to the president, and continues that streak by calling Ukraine’s Zelensky a “dictator,” so if you’re also having trouble wrapping your head around this whirlwind of chaos, check out our roundup of the latest political tea under the MAGA POTUS.
As for this scary new development, here’s all you need to know about why Trump called himself a king and shared a TIME Magazine cover of himself wearing a crown.
The TIME Magazine King Trump cover, explained
In keeping with his populist policies, President Trump has just decided to kill the new toll system for Manhattan drivers. This initiative was aimed at raising funds for the city’s aging transit system and relieving the congestion, which, according to New York Governor Kathy Hochul, had already dropped the vehicle congestion “dramatically” and allowed commuters to get to work much faster.
“It’s mystifying that after four years and 4,000 pages of federally-supervised environmental review — and barely three months after giving final approval to the [program] — [the Transportation Department] would seek to totally reverse course,” said New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority chair, Janno Lieber, per The Independent.
The MTA had planned to use the $15 billion fund on crucial upgrades to the city’s transit system, which is already under pressure from the millions of people who use it every day.
Trump, meanwhile, in Trump fashion, is celebrating this unlawful and disruptive executive order. He recently took to his Truth social account to write, in all caps: “CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!”
The official X account for The White House then published a TIME Magazine-inspired cover of Trump wearing a crown.
“CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!”
–President Donald J. Trump pic.twitter.com/IMr4tq0sMB— The White House (@WhiteHouse) February 19, 2025
The only real question, of course, and one that Trump probably doesn’t want anyone pondering, is how this will even remotely benefit anyone. As one user aptly pointed out, they’re not even hiding the fact that he’s a dictator at this point.
Not even trying to hide the fact that Trump is a dictator…
— Politics Sloth 🧦🌐🇬🇷🇺🇸 (#1 reply guy) (@SockDemFan) February 19, 2025
How long do you think it’ll take Trump to propose to change the constitution to give himself more time as president, like his bestie Putin did a few years ago?