New York Gov. Kathy Hochul now says she’s "leading the resistance" against President Donald Trump. Just weeks ago, she said the opposite.
In an interview with NPR’s "Morning Edition" on Monday, Hochul vowed to "fight back hard." She was asked about New York City’s congestion pricing toll, which the Trump administration blocked last month.
"We offered up an olive branch," Hochul said. "'We'll work with you on infrastructure. Let's redo Penn Station.' Those areas were common ground. But once you draw first blood on us, we're coming back hard. And I will be leading the resistance on policies like these where you're hurting New Yorkers directly. This is our decision, not yours."
Yet, less than two weeks ago, she took a different stance.
"I’ve been asked countless [times] ‘are you leading the resistance?’ – No, I’m governing the great state of New York," she told reporters, according to the New York Post.
The Trump administration halted the controversial congestion toll program last month. It launched Jan. 5, aiming to thin traffic and fund mass transit with a $9 toll on most vehicles entering Manhattan’s core south of Central Park.
Later that month, Hochul met with Trump at the White House. She made a case for the program but later admitted the meeting likely didn’t change his mind.
On Monday, she shifted gears again. She declared it’s up to Democratic governors to be a "firewall" against Trump and Republicans in Congress.
Hochul urged fellow Democrats to "stand up against this destruction of policies that are helping people and have been in place for decades."