'He can use mass transit': NYC official trolls Trump for congestion pricing rant

Former President Donald Trump was trolled by a powerful New York City official Tuesday after he complained congestion pricing cost a "fortune."

Trump took to Truth Social Tuesday to complain about the traffic-controlling policy in Manhattan, where the former president faces criminal charges linked to alleged hush money paid to a porn star ahead of the 2016 presidential election.

"I can’t believe that New York City is instituting Congestion Pricing, where everyone has to pay a fortune for the 'privilege' of coming into the City, which is in desperate trouble without it," wrote Trump. "It is a big incentive not to come - there are plenty of other places to go. It’s been a failure everywhere it has been tried, and would only work if a place were HOT, HOT, HOT, which New York City is not right now. What office tenant or business would want to be here with this tax. Hopefully, it will soon be withdrawn!"

A Metropolitan Transit Authority representative had a swift response to Trump, according to Michael Gold of the New York Times.

“Once streets are less congested the former president’s SUV should be able to get to the courthouse faster, or he can use mass transit like millions of hardworking New Yorkers do every day,” said John J. McCarthy, policy and external relations chief.

McCarthy also provided a screenshot of transit directions from Trump Tower to the Manhattan courthouse — which requires just a short ride on the 4 Train.

Manhattan's congestion pricing plan, which is meant to reduce pollution, traffic, and safety hazards around the Financial District, has come under fire from numerous politicians, particularly those in Long Island and New Jersey, like Democratic Rep. Josh Gottheimer, who have argued the tolls amount to an overbearing tax on working people.

However, studies have shown just 4 percent of people in the outer boroughs and 1.6 percent of people in Northern New Jersey commute into Lower Manhattan by car, and those people are disproportionately ultra-wealthy.

Overwhelmingly, commuters from these places rely on mass transit already. Moreover, other analyses have shown that driving a personal vehicle into Manhattan creates about $100 in added costs to society.