U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with members of the media aboard Air Force One en route from Florida to Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S., January 11, 2026. REUTERS/Nathan Howard
President Donald Trump is blasting New York City’s congestion pricing program, calling it a “disaster” that is accelerating the city’s decline and demanding it be ended immediately. In a statement posted this week, Trump said the policy has “never worked before, and it will never work now,” arguing that it punishes working New Yorkers, businesses, and commuters while doing little to actually improve quality of life.
“Congestion Pricing in Manhattan is a DISASTER for New York,” Trump wrote. “It’s got to be ended, IMMEDIATELY! … I love New York, and hate to see it being destroyed so rapidly with such obviously foolish ‘policy.’”
Trump’s comments come just days after New York Governor Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani held a joint press conference celebrating the rollout of congestion pricing, touting it as a success and defending it as a necessary tool to reduce traffic and fund mass transit. State and city leaders praised early revenue numbers and framed the program as a model for urban policy nationwide.
Critics, however, say the policy has already begun driving up costs for commuters, delivery services, and small businesses, while pushing traffic- and pollution, into outer boroughs and surrounding communities. Trump’s intervention underscores a growing political divide over congestion pricing, as backlash mounts from drivers, business owners, and suburban commuters who say the plan prioritizes ideology over economic reality.
As city and state officials double down on congestion pricing, Trump’s remarks signal that the policy could become a major flashpoint in the national debate over urban governance, transportation, and the future of New York City itself.
