Donald Trump Has Appointed Himself King of America

This is not a distraction. It’s an escalation.

by Bob Cesca

WASHINGTON, DC – In a move that shouldn’t surprise anyone, Donald Trump declared himself to be America’s first monarch this week.

In a post on his janky social media app, he wrote, “CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!” The official White House account on Elon Musk’s equally janky social media app quoted the post and included a presumably AI painting, inspired by a Time Magazine cover, of Donald wearing a crown with the caption: “Long live the king.”

In case you’re wondering, “congestion pricing” has to do with a $9 surcharge applied to all cars that enter Manhattan in addition to the toll rates for using bridges and tunnels to enter the city. The point is to reduce traffic inside the city by disincentivizing people from traveling there by car. Donald and his reality show transportation secretary evidently withdrew federal support for the program, but the Manhattan Transit Authority immediately sued to have the surcharge reinstated – a case it’s likely to win.

Elsewhere, former Democratic congressman Daniel Goldman called Donald’s kingly declaration a “distraction.” I like Mr. Goldman, but I’m effing sick to death of being scolded over what we should or shouldn’t take seriously. Yes, some things are a distraction like the stupid Gulf of America nonsense. But while we should never refer to him as a king, every patriotic American should be repulsed and outraged by any president saying such a thing, even if it were a joke.

The United States has a well-known and deeply contentious relationship with being governed by a king. The founding principles of our nation are based largely on our revulsion at the notion of autocratic, monarchical leadership. Democracy is a direct rejection of authoritarianism of any kind. And there’s a growing list of documented examples of Donald acting as an autocrat, and his post explicitly defines how he perceives the nature of his power. He’s illegally destroying our governing institutions, a move that’s clearly intended to clear a path for his corruption and despotism.

What if he used the synonym "dictator" instead? Would that be a distraction? Of course not. Even if it was meant to troll liberals, it’s still not a distraction. It’s an escalation. It’s a label that encompasses the entirety of his agenda.

On Tuesday, the day before he declared himself to be king, Donald signed an executive order…

…stating that only the “President and the Attorney General shall provide authoritative interpretations of the law for the executive branch.” The order covers all federal employees and agencies, including independent agencies operating under the executive branch of the US government. Historically, independent agencies exist outside the executive branch and are largely independent of presidential control.

This is a direct assault on the courts – the Article III powers – as district judges are legitimately blocking many of his attempts to destroy democracy from within. It’s the most definitive indication that he will not adhere to checks and balances or judicial review. Without these basic democratic guardrails, Donald is free to do whatever he wants, no matter how illegal or unconstitutional. He can be a king. In this context, the only thing keeping him from declaring himself to be king for life is the establishment of state control over elections. Does this sound like a distraction? Sounds like dictatorship to me.

But what can we do?

While there are many Republicans who I’m sure are fine with living under the reign of Mad King Donald, there are many more who are disgusted by the idea of being rendered impotent by Donald, especially as his actions trample the lives and livelihoods of their constituents. We’re not alone.

One of the driving forces behind the MAGA movement has always been to install Donald as a supreme leader and then barricade the doors behind him. It was never about electing a president for a finite term in office. But this move is so contrary to American values that as his power grows so will the opposition.

Additionally, unlike Hungary or Russia, we have federalism, which divides power between state, local, and federal governments. And there are still good people who work inside both the federal government and, yes, the military, who won’t allow democracy to be so easily overthrown by a malevolent tyrant.

If the rest of us can unify around pushing back against his tyranny, no matter how it’s defined, others will follow. For nearly 250 years, millions of American heroes sacrificed and died to preserve democracy, the Constitution, and the rule of law. This self-declared king is trampling that sacrifice. Treating this as nothing but another distraction will only aid in Donald’s obvious attempt at being America’s Putin – America’s King George.

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