Berliner Tageblatt - 'Queen of Pop' Madonna lambasts 'King' Trump

Trump declared "LONG LIVE THE KING" to end a social media message on Wednesday stating that he had killed a New York plan to impose a peak congestion charge of $9 for cars entering much of busy Manhattan.

The White House reposted the message on its social media with an illustration showing Trump wearing a diamond-studded crown.

"I thought this country was built by Europeans, escaping living under the rule of a King, to establish a New World governed by the people," Madonna, widely known as "The Queen of Pop," said late Thursday on the X platform.

"Currently we have a president who calls Himself Our King. If this is a joke, I'm not laughing," added the 66-year-old singer.

Madonna had criticized Trump during his first term as president and she took part in a demonstration by Trump opponents after his January 20 inauguration. She has highlighted attacks on LGBTQ rights by the new administration.

Opponents frequently criticize Trump for adopting a regal tone. He said in his inaugural address that he was "saved by God to make America great again," after surviving an assassination attempt in July.

The Republican leader campaigned against New York's congestion charge, the first in the United States, during his presidential campaign.

The US Department of Transportation directed New York authorities this week to halt the charge.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, said lawyers have initiated court action to halt the federal order.

But Trump triumphantly said on his Truth Social platform that "CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!"

W.Lapointe--BTB