The official White House social media shared an image of President Trump wearing a crown. The image shared on social media includes the President’s dangerous self-declaration as a king. It is one of many signs of change.
First shared on Truth Social, owned by Trump Media and Technology Group, the AI-generated image is captioned with a quote from Trump himself, “CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!” The image quickly sparked online outrage.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul quickly responded to the president’s royal self-proclamation on X saying, “Donald Trump isn’t a “king”. We won’t let him use New Yorkers as roadkill on his revenge tour.”
Instagram users left many comments opposing the ‘royal portrait’. One commenter shared, “Didn’t we have a revolution against a tyrant king already?? How tone-deaf of you Mr. President.” Another shared, “A president of the United States is not and should not ever be considered a king, no matter what party or ideology they represent.”
The verified White House account resembles a middle school mock government club, sharing declarations of going back to plastic straws, ICE arrest mugshots, and a Valentine’s Day card reading, “Roses are red violets are blue come here illegally and we’ll deport you.”
Regardless of where you land on the political spectrum, any United States official wearing a crown should be alarming to you. A majority of our ancestors were fleeing corrupt governments led by a form of monarchy which were forced to change or didn’t survive. For this reason, Article 1 of the Constitution makes it clear the United States is not to have a monarch or accept any royal title given by one.
The official annotated constitution reads, “No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.”
It’s tasteless for the President to call himself a king, but it should be a warning for Americans because it makes it clear how Trump plans to continue his second term. Officially a month into his term, Trump has signed over 70 executive orders as of Feb. 20- the most signed in a president’s first 100 days in more than 40 years.
The orders include toxic censorship, complete erasure of trans acknowledgment, extreme tariffs, stock market control, ending DEI programs and so much more. If you have doubts, read the orders.
All of these actions are signs of an extinction burst, a system fighting on its last leg to survive. Take a look at the signs: increased political extremism and control over women’s and trans people’s bodies, the push to silence and erase LGBTQ+ and other marginalized voices, desperate attempts to reassert outdated gender roles and anti-progress movements trying to turn back the clock. This is because the people pushing this, and the President leading the burst, think all of this will “Make America Great Again.”
This is a sign showing change is coming. Trump and his witch hunt party wouldn’t be reacting this strongly if they weren’t afraid to lose control. As they try to erase history we can look back on it to see many oppressive systems, like this one being quickly thrown together, have fallen under their weight. People are waking up, speaking out, and refusing to comply.
Remember this is not the end. This is the breaking point before real changes begin. They want you to feel powerless. They want you to think change isn’t possible. They want you to be so exhausted you feel like you have no choice but to give up. America is one of the few places in the world where the people are the rulers, so don’t give up.
