Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) weighed in a day after President Trump called himself a king, arguing the president is a “royal pain.”
Whitehouse joined CNN on Thursday and was asked about Trump’s post in which he declared New York “saved” from congestion pricing and said, “LONG LIVE THE KING!”
The White House’s official account on the social platform X also posted a photo depicting Trump wearing a crown and a New York City backdrop. Instead of the Time magazine title, the image read “TRUMP.”
The senator questioned on air if this makes Trump a “royal pain in the a‑‑?”
He reiterated the quip in a response to the White House’s post. “Does this officially make him a *royal* pain in the a‑‑?” Whitehouse wrote on X.
“CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED,” Trump had written Wednesday online. “LONG LIVE THE KING.”
Critics highlighted last year’s Supreme Court ruling that granted broad immunity for presidential actions.
Allies of the president’s trolled the critics by posting various images of Trump wearing crowns and calling him a king.
The exchanges come just days after Presidents Day, when protesters across the country demonstrated for “No Kings Day” in opposition of Trump and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.
The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment.
