New York Governor Kathy Hochul and President Trump had a productive meeting at the White House to discuss various topics such as tariffs, energy policy, and the redevelopment of Penn Station. While no formal agreements were reached, both parties are looking forward to continuing the dialogue in the coming weeks. The meeting comes amid tensions between the two, including over congestion pricing, with the Trump administration ordering the termination of congestion pricing by next Friday. Trump had announced the termination of congestion pricing through a post from the White House X account, declaring that Manhattan, and all of New York, is now saved.
In response to Trump’s remarks, Governor Hochul criticized the “king” remark made by the president and emphasized that New York has not labored under a king for over 250 years. She expressed frustration at the disconnect between the reality faced by New Yorkers and the perception of reality coming out of the White House. Hochul stressed that the president likely has never had to experience missing a child’s sporting event due to being stuck on a delayed train. Earlier this month, Hochul declared that she would be leading the resistance against Trump, particularly in response to policies that directly hurt New Yorkers. She stated that while she had initially offered to work with the administration on infrastructure and the redevelopment of Penn Station, once first blood was drawn, she would come back hard to defend the state’s decisions.
The meeting between Governor Hochul and President Trump also touched upon the revival of the Constitution natural gas pipeline from Pennsylvania to New York. Hochul had previously stated that she offered an olive branch to the administration to work together on infrastructure projects, but the conflict over congestion pricing has led to a stronger stance against Trump’s policies. Despite Hochul’s assertion that she will lead the resistance against policies hurting New Yorkers, just two weeks earlier, she had mentioned that she did not plan to be at the forefront of resistance efforts, indicating a shift in her approach to dealing with the Trump administration. The White House confirmed the meeting between the two officials but noted that it was off the record and that there would be no official readout provided.
Governor Hochul’s criticism of Trump’s decision to terminate congestion pricing in New York reflects the ongoing tensions between the two political leaders. The Trump administration’s move to block congestion pricing has sparked a response from Hochul, who has vowed to defend New York’s decisions and policies that are being challenged. The lack of a formal agreement during the meeting indicates that discussions on these contentious issues will continue in the coming weeks. Despite the differences between the two leaders, the productive conversation between Governor Hochul and President Trump suggests a willingness to engage in dialogue and potentially find common ground on certain topics such as tariffs, energy policy, and infrastructure projects.
