Gov. Kathy Hochul said she ripped President Trump for acting without Congressional approval in Venezuela after he called her on Monday.
The Democratic governor also bizarrely claimed credit for sparking the nationwide “No Kings” protest movement against the Trump administration, as she celebrated the one-year anniversary of congestion pricing.
Standing with Mayor Zohran Mamdani, MTA CEO Janno Lieber and transit activists, Hochul said she told Trump the scheme to charge drivers in Lower Manhattan was working.
But when Trump brought up his raid on Venezuela that led to the capture of dictator Nicolás Maduro, Hochul said she told him “I disagree.”
Here’s the latest on Nicolás Maduro’s capture:
- Ex-Venezuela spy chief, ‘The Chicken,’ could be star witness at Maduro’s trial: experts
- Maduro declares himself ‘prisoner of war,’ claims he was ‘kidnapped’ by US forces as he pleads not guilty in NYC
- Cops forced to separate pro-Maduro protesters from joyous Venezuelans in wild NYC scene: ‘They don’t speak Spanish!’
- Nicolas Maduro could face death penalty if fallen Venezuelan dictator convicted
“You’ve got to go to Congress. You’ve got to get authority. It’s kind of important to do things like that,” Hochul said.
“He’s a bad guy, but you’ve got to get authority,” Hochul said she told Trump about Maduro.
Hochul, trying to appeal to lefty activists who pushed for the phased-in $15 toll for motorists, also claimed that she triggered the “No Kings” protests after she held a pro-congestion pricing press conference in February 2024 where she held up a picture of a fake TIME magazine cover put out by the White House depicting Trump as a king.
“I was pissed. I said, as you heard. I’m still angry when I think about it,” Hochul said Monday. “We’re not laboring under a king but it was that image, that day that I believe triggered the ‘No Kings’ rallies all across America.”
