By Askold Lozynskyj
I thoroughly enjoyed King Charles’ speech on the state of the world and U.S.-U.K. relations to the United States Congress. Apparently, Vice President Vance and Speaker Mike Johnson did as well, which I observed from their body language. They were jumping up and down with glee, perhaps unaware of their antics. In particular, when the King stressed the importance of supporting Ukraine, both Vance and John jumped up in applause with the rest of the House. Vance must have suffered a relapse since he celebrated his greatest achievement of not providing any aid to Ukraine in 2025.
I watched the event on FOX News specifically to get a feel from the enemy as I anticipated a sublimely satirical speech by the King. I was not disappointed. Following the speech, one of television’s worst “dingbats”—to quote Archie Bunker—Martha MacCallum endorsed the King’s plea for support for Ukraine, stating that the President of the United States was also a big supporter of Ukraine. I could not make this up.
The King also referred to the legendary Magna Carta, the basis for U.K. democracy dating back to the XIII century, particularly regarding its language on checks and balances. The Republicans missed the point. Checks and balances do not exist in America today. The MAGAs at FOX could not understand the reference and suggested that somehow this was a criticism of the “No Kings” movement in the United States. I had to laugh. Often the MAGAs are so ridiculous that they are funny. But they are also evil.
There is no reason to set the record straight for the MAGAs about a speech they clearly did not understand. King Charles delivered a clinic and a very diplomatic slap to the face of Trump, Vance, the entire administration, the MAGAs, FOX News and today’s America.
This was particularly important and timely following the staged assassination attempt at the White House Correspondents Dinner last Saturday. Trump relished this as an opportunity to cast himself as a victim, and the incident was then exploited to promote the ill-conceived, now being illegally constructed, White House ballroom. A day earlier, Trump caused an uproar over Jimmy Kimmel labeling Melania Trump the expectant widow and Melania’s comments regarding the same; she is a very close second to Martha MacCallum. If you believe that I am being unfair, go see her movie.
For those who do not know who Archie Bunker was, it is important to identify him because he represents a good portion of America today. Archie Bunker was a character in a very successful satirical television comedy series who depicted a racist, redneck, bigot, essentially the progenitor of today’s MAGAs. Among other things he was also a big supporter of the Second Amendment who offered a solution to the rampage of airplane hijackings by suggesting that the way to stop them was to equip all passengers with handguns. This is not unlike a suggestion that would come from today’s White House. Its producer was Norman Lear, unfortunately, a visionary of our time.
Donald J. Trump will never understand the King’s speech because it was the finest example of sublime sarcasm. The king praised America, its history, and its upcoming independence celebration, but he never praised the current president. He pointed out everything wrong with America today, but he did so in a manner not offensive to anyone in particular, seeking reconciliation with his own United Kingdom. He intimated that this reconciliation must and will take place albeit not during the term of this presidency.
No one in this administration will be offended by this speech because, frankly, they are too primitive. However, the popularity of Trump will decline further because even more Americans will recognize that King Charles while somewhat of an anachronism is very much a statesman and the President of the United States is a buffoon—as Bill O’Reilly, a former FOX News host, once characterized him to his face.
In conclusion this was one of the best lessons on statesmanship the American electorate has ever experienced, and it will go a very long way towards stemming the cancer that ails America today: Trump, MAGA, FOX News and the like.
April 29, 2026