Last week, after New York Gov. Kathy Hochul dramatized the “Rambo” inspired challenge to President Trump, she found herself in Washington, with the president’s deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller (Stephen) Miller) Face to face.
They exchanged pleasures on Friday morning. Ms. Hochul mentioned that she hoped to reschedule the cancellation meeting with Mr. Trump. That is until a few hours later, the Governor received the news that the President would see her around 6 p.m.
“I have to leave the staff at the door, my state police are at the door,” she said in an interview Monday. “I looked at the Secret Service people. I said, “Will I be fine?” ”
The governor's attention seems to fit well. Just two days ago, Ms. Hawkell mocked Mr. Trump's suggestion to be king and evoked the “Rambo” of the Sylvester Stallone movie franchise in search of revenge Mr. Trump's congestion pricing plan for the “first blood” state.
On the contrary, long meetings are largely civil. They discussed in detail how the two of them sat behind a desk, Franklin D.
She said the fate of mayor Eric Adams, facing federal corruption charges, did not appear. But they debated Mr. Trump’s dislike of the state’s offshore wind scheme, and she said she told him that federal immigration agents should leave immigrant families alone during law enforcement operations.
Ms. Hawkel brought the case when the conversation turned to congested pricing. She told Mr. Trump that she was frustrated that Trump's transport secretary Sean Duffy quoted a New Jersey transport commissioner in the letter to inform Ms. Hawkel that the president was murdering the plan.
Ms. Hochul said she doesn’t appreciate outsiders “telling New Yorkers like you and me what to do.”
“I said, 'I didn't react well, I'm sure you won't either.' “Who cares what New Jersey thinks?” ”
Ms. Hochul left the presidential pamphlet detailing some of the early successes of the program. He said he would discuss the matter with Mr. Duffy.
White House spokesman Kush Desai did not answer the list of questions about the meeting, saying, “President Trump’s position on New York’s congestion pricing plan is clear.”
“Thanks to his leadership, working-class Americans who priced traffic congestion were slapped in the face.”
During Ms. Hawkell's tenure, the planned irregular meetings continued an unusually dynamic, high-profile period as she dealt with Mr. Trump and the uncertainty surrounding Mr. Adams' future.
The governor's own political future is not guaranteed: she seems destined to face a tough reelection battle next year, without Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado, who will do so.
Mr Delgado announced on social media on Monday that he would not seek re-election for Ms. Hawkell's second command. “All options are on the table and I’m going to explore them,” said Mr. Delgado, one of several Democrats, including representative Ritchie Torres, who openly pondered the challenge of challenging the governor in the primary.
The governor's office has insufficient response.
“Today, Antonio Delgado finally spoke out something very obvious for a while: He was not interested in working as a lieutenant governor of New York State at all,” said Anthony Hogrebe, director of governor communications, said . “Governor Hawkel has begun taking steps to identify new campaign partners in 2026. We will also reassign responsibilities within the government to ensure that important initiatives within the lieutenant’s office are no longer ignored.”
For Ms. Hochul, the more aggressive posture seemed to run counter to the more deliberate, consensus style she prefers.
She tried to work with Mr. Trump to overcome his opposition to the pricing of traffic jams. She said that in several conversations, she listed the benefits of the program and asked him to give it a year before he judged.
“I suggest, 'We can wait a little while and let's see.'” she recalled their phone calls. “I’ll show you the data at that time.”
The Governor now admits that the court may be the best bastion against the Trump administration. After Mr. Duffy's letter arrived, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority promptly filed a lawsuit to defend congestion pricing.
But Ms. Hawkel is still the best attempt to change Mr. Trump’s mind in person. She said she told him about the reduction in traffic around Trump Tower and tried to dispel the impression that he is now entering the CBD. The Metropolitan Transportation Agency said Monday that the plan raised $48.6 million in its first month.
“He said, 'It's terrible,' she recalled. “I said, 'No, it's working. I don't know if it will certainly work, but it's working. You need to see this. He said, “I'll talk to Sean.”
