Did Trump call himself a king and say “Long live the king”

1. What was actually posted and how outlets recorded it

The social-media post in question appeared on Truth Social and used the exact phrase “LONG LIVE THE KING!” at the end of a proclamation about halting congestion pricing in Manhattan; multiple news organizations transcribed and reproduced that line verbatim when reporting the story ^{[1] [2] [3]}. The White House’s social accounts also shared a digitally created “Time” cover and other AI-crafted images portraying the president with a crown, reinforcing the reading that the phrase was a self-reference ^{[4] [6] [7]}.

2. How journalists and commentators interpreted the line

Mainstream outlets—Rolling Stone, The Guardian, The Independent, People, and several others—interpreted the phrasing as Trump declaring himself “king,” noting both the language and the graphics as evidence that the post was self-referential rather than metaphorical ^{[2] [5] [3] [4]}. Opinion and culture outlets, such as Distractify, framed the phrase as something that “feels fairly safe to assume” referred to the president himself while also treating it as provocative or trolling ^[8].

3. Official responses and political fallout

New York Governor Kathy Hochul responded directly, saying “We are a nation of laws, not ruled by a king,” and pledged legal action to preserve the congestion-pricing program, while local and national Democrats blasted the rhetoric as antidemocratic; the MTA filed suit to keep the program alive ^{[2] [5] [7]}. The White House’s promotion of AI imagery of Trump with a crown drew added criticism as intentional theatrics designed to amplify the king motif ^{[4] [6]}.

4. Alternative readings and caveats in reporting

Some commentators suggested the phrase could be rhetorical flourish or trolling rather than a literal proclamation of monarchical intent, and outlets noted that Trump did not explicitly spell out “I am the king” beyond the posted phrase; however, the combination of text, official reposting, and crown imagery made the self-referential interpretation the dominant reading in reporting ^{[8] [1] [4]}. Available reporting does not include a private clarifying statement from the president explicitly saying “I meant myself” beyond the public post, so absolute intent beyond the public message is inferential based on context ^{[1] [2]}.

5. Broader context: pattern and implications reported by sources

News organizations placed the post in a larger pattern of actions and rhetoric where Trump has been accused of seeking to consolidate authority—citing prior statements as evidence of a desire for extraordinary power—and framed the “Long live the king” line as another example that alarmed critics who view it as antithetical to democratic norms ^{[2] [6]}. At the same time, some political defenders treated the phrase as political theater and emphasized policy wins like rolling back congestion pricing rather than the rhetoric itself ^{[7] [9]}.

6. Bottom line answer to the core question

Yes: President Trump posted the line “LONG LIVE THE KING!” in a Truth Social message celebrating the federal move to block New York City’s congestion-pricing plan, and the White House amplified that line with AI imagery and a mock magazine cover, leading mainstream outlets to report that he was calling himself a king and prompting widespread political backlash ^{[1] [4] [2] [3]}. Reporting records the public text and its amplification; sources do not contain a subsequent disavowal from the president that would change that record ^{[1] [4]}.