Trump and Hochul discuss Manhattan toll program in White House meeting
NEW YORK — President Donald Trump met with New York Gov. Kathy Hochul for more than an hour on Friday to discuss a controversial Manhattan toll program known as congestion pricing.
The Democratic governor also spoke with the president about immigration and energy policies during the Oval Office meeting, a spokesperson for the governor confirmed Saturday.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Hochul is trying to save the toll program as Trump moved this week to rescind federal approval through the U.S. Department of Transportation. New York transit officials filed a legal challenge to Trump’s action this week in a bid to keep the $9 tolls in place.
“The Governor and the President had a frank, candid conversation about New York’s key priorities including congestion pricing, immigration, infrastructure, economic development, energy, offshore wind and nuclear power,” spokesperson Avi Small said. “Governor Hochul also presented President Trump with a booklet on the early success of congestion pricing. We will not comment further about private conversations.”
Congestion pricing opponents cheered the program’s potential demise while Trump referred to himself as a “king” when reversing federal approval.
The program is meant to raise $1 billion that will be leveraged for $15 billion in bonds to shore up the region’s troubled mass transit infrastructure.
Hochul, who delayed the tolls’ implementation last June over concerns the program would hurt battleground House Democratic candidates, backed its implementation after the November election. The program went into effect on Jan. 5, and Hochul this week fiercely pushed back against efforts to end it.
The pitch from Hochul to preserve the tolls also comes as Mayor Eric Adams is under pressure from fellow Democrats to resign. The Trump Justice Department pressed to end his corruption case while the mayor cooperates with the administration’s immigration goals.
