POLITICO first reported last week that Hochul was moving to revive the program.

In a statement released by his transition team, Trump blasted tolls’ impact on working people.

“Not only is this a massive tax to people coming in, it is extremely inconvenient from both driving and personal booking keeping standards,” Trump said. “It will be virtually impossible for New York City to come back as long as the congestion tax is in effect.”

The reworked plan entails tolling drivers entering Manhattan below 60th Street during 5 a.m. and 9 p.m. on weekdays and between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. on weekends, as a way to reduce traffic and improve air quality. Thousands of jobs are expected to be created by the planned transit system upgrades, which include installing elevators to improve access at subway stations.

Hochul’s party’s House candidate’s performed well in New York last week, bucking the national trend of Democrats losing handily across the country.

But her latest maneuver may not survive the political sea change in Washington anyway.

Republicans want Trump to rescind federal approval of congestion pricing when he takes office, and his public admonition of the policy gives them reason to be hopeful. On the Democratic side, suburban politicians are squeamish that the tolls signal they do not understand voters’ affordability concerns.

In pausing the tolls from taking effect in June, the governor cited inflation and said New Yorkers could not afford the $15 charge.

Antipathy toward congestion pricing has not changed over the past five months. Democrats, including New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and swing seat lawmakers, remain opposed.

Murphy portrayed Hochul’s decision — and any attempt by the outgoing Biden White House to green light it — as a political mistake.

“All of us need to listen to the message that voters across America sent last Tuesday, which is that the vast majority of Americans are experiencing severe economic strains and still feeling the effects of inflation,” Murphy said in a statement. “There could not be a worse time to impose a new $9 toll on individuals who are traveling into downtown Manhattan for work, school, or leisure.”

Suburban New York Democrats, including those who won crucial House seats a week ago, have pledged to block it.

“Albany should find another, more responsible way to fund the MTA than by harming overtaxed commuters,” said Democratic Rep.-elect Laura Gillen, who narrowly flipped a Long Island district. “If the governor moves forward, I will take any means necessary to stop it.”

And Hochul herself could pay a political price when she runs for reelection in 2026. Republicans, including her potential GOP opponent Rep. Mike Lawler, have urged Trump to rescind federal approval of the tolls.

President Joe Biden’s administration, which approved a previous version of the tolling plan, must still approve Hochul’s redo. An official at the Federal Highway Administration said officials are working “expeditiously” to do just that.

Publicly, Hochul insisted the original $15 toll for passenger cars during peak hours was too costly, given the pivotal role cost-of-living concerns played on Election Day. But she believes that a $9 charge for people who drive below 60th Street into Manhattan will be more palatable.

Hochul has insisted that bringing the program back follows the law. But she is also making a bet that commuters will be relieved the toll is lower.

“New Yorkers who were planning for a $15 increase will be very happy that this governor stood up and says it is not $15 dollars,” she said this week at an unrelated news conference.

The governor on Thursday touted the reduced toll as a savings for drivers — roughly $1500 a year for commuters who travel during peak hours.

Mass transit advocates have long pressed for congestion pricing, arguing the move would reduce traffic, improve air quality and raise money to shore up bus and train systems in New York City.

“This will generate major investments for our suburban commuters as well,” Hochul said.

One group is supporting her post-election shift: Prominent city-based business organizations, who back congestion pricing and were disappointed by what Hochul called “an indefinite pause” for in June.

Many of those private-sector boosters were alienated by Hochul’s sudden announcement in June, angered that she did not successfully persuade congestion pricing supporters behind the scenes that the pause was necessary.

“The governor made a very interesting calculation several months ago,” said Carlo Scissura, the president and CEO of the New York Building Congress, a trade group. “Strategically her calculation paid off. I think this is the right moment for her to take the next steps.”

Kathy Wylde, president and CEO of the Partnership for New York City — a business group — attended the governor’s announcement in a show of support.

Hochul’s pause was popular with voters, even as the governor herself has struggled to boost her own standing with New Yorkers, a Siena College poll in July found.

But supporters of the toll plan have insisted people will eventually come around to supporting congestion pricing due to its expected benefits: reduced traffic and cleaner air.

Deputy New York City Mayor Meera Joshi compared the tolls to a ban on smoking in bars a generation ago.

“We once questioned this big culture change and now we celebrate it,” she said.

Still, all of Hochul’s agony on tolling could be for naught because of a still-pending lawsuit filed by Murphy aimed at blocking the tolls. A federal judge has yet to rule, more than six months after holding a two-day hearing on the case that seeks to invalidate a federal environmental review. If the judge forced a redo of that study, Trump could likely kill the tolling plan.

On Wednesday, Murphy’s attorney, Randy Mastro, sent a letter to the judge saying the matter is “ripe for decision.”