Donald Trump has declared himself `king’.
Fresh from his history-rewriting claim Ukraine started its war with Russia, Trump decided merely being US President and leader of the free world was not enough.
He hailed himself a ruling monarch in a social media post after crowing he had killed off plans to bring in congestion charges in New York City.
“CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD,’’ he wrote on his Truth Social account.
“Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED.
“LONG LIVE THE KING!’’
White House deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich shared the message – along with a doctored picture of Trump dressed as a king.
A White House social media account posted a fake Time magazine cover that replaced the publication’s name with “Trump” and showed the grinning president wearing a crown.
It came days after Trump issued a post echoing legendary French general Napoleon Bonaparte saying: “He who saves his country does not violate any law.’’
Trump’s regal pronouncement came after his transportation secretary Sean Duffy confirmed in writing federal officials will work to shut down the congestion charge plan designed to cut traffic and fund transit improvements in Manhattan.
It followed Trump’s stunning claim Ukraine started its war with Russia – ignoring Vladimir Putin’s invasion three years ago.
The US president branded Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy a dictator who he said “refuses to have elections”.
He said the US was now “successfully negotiating an end to the war” – which he said Europe had failed to do and “all admit” only his administration can achieve – and added: “Zelensky better move fast or he is not going to have a country left.’’
Zelensky hit back saying Trump was trapped in a “disinformation” bubble stemming from fake news put out by Russia – including about his approval rating.
But yesterday US national security adviser Mike Waltz said Ukraine badmouthing’ America was unacceptable’.
Waltz – part of the US delegation that held talks with Russia in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday in a bid to end the war – said Zelenskyy should reconsider Trump’s offer to protect Ukraine from Putin in return for £400bn’s worth of the besieged nation’s 17 rare earth metals.
Zelenskyy rejected it saying: “I am protecting Ukraine. I can’t sell our country.’’
But Waltz said: “They need to tone it down and take a hard look and sign that deal. Differences can be reconciled.’’
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov yesterday said Russia-US relations had now thawed so much a new prisoner exchange between the two super powers `cannot be ruled out’.
European Union foreign ministers have scheduled a debate on Monday about handing Ukraine a further £5bn in `financial and military aid’ to keep up its fight against Putin’s invading army.
At the same time European Council president Antonio Costa and Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen will travel to Ukraine capital Kyiv to mark the third anniversary of the invasion.
Costa said the trip would `reaffirm our support to the heroic Ukrainian people and to the democratically elected president Zelenskyy’.
But the US objected to a proposed G7 leaders’ statement to mark the grim anniversary which used the phrase `Russian aggression’.
And it was revealed US secretary of state Marco Rubio had refused to attribute blame to Russia at the Saudi summit.
A readout of the talks provided by Rubio’s office showed he instead used the expression `the conflict in Ukraine’ to describe Russia’s invasion.
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