On a nice spring afternoon, April 26, 2026, “King” Charles III was invited by President Trump to address a joint session of the United Stares Congress in Washington, DC. The little brick house that I co-own with the bank sits, as the crow would fly, just 8 miles away. His sudden whirlwind  tour included numerous meetings, with Trump, industry leaders, military brass, corporate media, Republican and Democrat politicians, and assorted royal-obsessed glitterati. A few minutes were also spent interacting with a some common folks. Certainly not the first royalty to show up, but I wondered, “Why is he visiting now?” What is behind this, as wars rage, people are agitated at the continuing decline of the country, immigrants are petrified at the thought of being rounded-up, and prices are still going up and up on everything?

So I tuned-in live to the Congressional address and witnessed the assemblage boisterously welcoming Charles. The reverence and fan-worship shown by our Members of Congress and functionaries from the Trump ruling clique did not disappoint the monarch. It was worth his time to come.

When  formally introduced by the Speaker of the House, as “His Majesty, King Charles III of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland”, it unleashed multiple additional rounds of applause and cheers from the body. The celebrations rolled-on, an ample display of the political and social rot which filled the hall to capacity. Republicans and Democrats alike welcomed this political relic, their adoration a natural reaction from finding themselves merely in close proximity to the King. The pompous introduction at least served as a reminder of the unfinished task of complete Irish independence, with the 6 Northern counties still press-ganged into the British Empire. Let’s certainly not forget that fact, since we know that Charles considers that matter settled. It’s not.

THIS WORKER PONDERS A FEW THINGS

The opening acts of this stage-managed spectacle gave me time to ponder a few things. My father’s family emigrated from England sometime in the later 1600’s, taking their chances in the New World and escaping religious persecution from an earlier English king. My mother’s family fled Ireland, by way of Scotland, in the middle 1800s.  As best we can figure they took this scary leap into the unknown fleeing the crushing poverty of another royal relation of Charles. Needless to say, when growing up in my household the British Royal Family was not adored, supported, remembered, or frankly even noticed.

I took another moment to ask what love or admiration any of my family members might have had for the king of their time?  I can safely guess that it was practically none, since escape from royal rule was a primary trigger for millions who left for the eventual United Stares.  Endless internecine wars among the assorted monarchs of Europe were one of the primary motivators for ordinary people to seek normal lives elsewhere.

I also thought of my own decades of experiences as a worker, a Marxist, and a trade union leader. These rounded out my own sound reasons to reject monarchy as nothing more than an illegitimate system, a destructive, dangerous and retrograde ruling class institution. Like most workers I have worked for a number of despotic bosses, or as a cog in one of their profit generating machines. Like Charles, most of these creatures were born one way or the other into their prosperous positions, and I chose wisely not to revere any of them.

A PECULIAR SPEECH

As King Charles navigated his way through his speech to Congress, his comprehensive ruling class training surfaced as second-to-none. His early handlers have done well. He is intelligent and comfortable at the helm. Charles recognized and readily exploited the attentive audience, humoring them at timers, and lecturing historically throughout as he moved steadily towards the real point of his visit and address – which quickly became apparent to me. This speech was his singular mission to deliver, in-person, in front of the Trump political machinery, his own unconditional support for the most violent and corrupt version of U.S. imperialism which has  – so far – been seen. His remarks were also intended to offer even further subordination to this modern criminal state apparatus by the United Kingdom government, military, and all of its still considerable economic resources.

FOR A STRONGER AND UNITED IMPERIALIST FRONT

Charles proceeded to tick off a short list of what he saw as the common bonds between the ruling elites of both countries. He offered no hint of criticism of the U.S. regime and its rapidly expanding criminal attacks and wars on working people world-wide. No references were made to the systematic Trump assaults on even the rudimentary democratic structures and processes in the U.S. today. Absolutely no mention of his murderous police state attacks on millions of immigrants. None. There was no mention of the criminal role of the Zionist partner in these savage Trumpian exploits either. In fact, his remarks could be interpreted as some sort of personal application to Trump, hoping for an expanded role in support of the U.S. on the model of the Zionist state.

He made a special point to share the solidarity between himself and Trump personally, the result apparently of their connections as incredible wealthy white sovereigns and Christians. The King chose in this way to deliberately legitimize the dangerous ideological core of fascist Christians now dominating the inner Trump ruling circles. He announced proudly the gigantic new arms expenditures of the U.K. as proof of his commitment to U.S. imperialism’s renewed aggressive agenda. Charles invoked the 9-11 terrorist attacks on the United States as continued additional justification for the incredible new arms race, without mentioning that the entire apparatus to launch those deadly attacks emanated from a staunch U.S. and U.K. ally – the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

He naturally signaled his support for the predatory NATO war alliance, adding that to his warmongering pose.  Charles reassured the star-struck listeners of his support for the willing and further subordination of his country’s economy and military to the broad U.S. war machine.  He mentioned the urgent need for the ruling classes of both countries to close ranks in an alliance to bolster their ruling positions. This assurance rang true on several levels, as both the Trump regime and the Royal Family have both found themselves increasingly mired in perverse corruption and controversy.

NO KINGS?

Our colonial experiment in bourgeois democracy here in the United States has been on life support for some decades, as would be obvious to any close observer. These new Royal remarks in Congressional chambers strongly add to a terminal diagnosis. The Trump MAGA machine proceeds week after week to expand its power, reach, and its ambitious agenda. The Democratic Party remains paralyzed with no coherent plan or ability to mobilize beyond some wealthy donors, the non-profit industrial sector, and a slice of middle-class voter forces. While not a new problem, Democrats continue to trail haplessly the Trump attack plan with their substantial African-American and trade union support essentially demobilized.

One of several exceptions to this disarray has been the centrist No Kings protect movement, although King Charles’ visit seemed to escape its attention. Given that the obvious mission of Charles was to embrace, legitimize, and offer support for the breathtakingly criminal Trump regime, it was sadly comic to watch as Virginia’s Democratic Governor Abigail Spanberger was spotted in the after-speech excursion entourage of  King Charles. Speech completed, the Royal baggage train fanned-out in rural western Virginia to inspect some peasantry and engage in photo-ops with the same. Spanberger — CIA agent and bare-minimum  supporter of the “No Kings” movement —  dutifully cooperated and acted as hostess-in-chief for King Charles side tour.

Apparently, for high profile elected Democrat politicians, the No Kings playbook saw nothing objectionable in the Trump arranged campaign visit by a real King. The anti-Trump No Kings theme deflated instantly in the induced stupor felt by many Democrats in the presence of  Royalty.

KING CHARLES REVEALS THE REAL U.S. CRISIS

This politically ironic aspect of the entire affairs was ignored by media, too infatuated with the royal intoxicant to notice. But serious observers will see in this single episode the Achilles heal of the Democratic Party “opposition” to Trumpian despotism. Unable to question or face any of the underlying reasons for the rise of Trumpism, the Democrats instead settle for a weak and inconsistent critique which questions only the degree of Trumpian crime.  At the very best, they are an unreliable and inconsistent fellow ruling partner, not an opposition.

This brief view of the King Charles speech to the U.S. Congress reveals a man eager to offer all of his services to Trump and his increasingly corrupt, lawless and violent ruling agenda. This royal charade, aided and abetted by all corners of the U.S. ruling elite – who collectively sat spellbound and leaped to their feet numerous times to applaud the performance  – is yet another potent warning.  A warning that the current Democratic Party is incapable of substantial or effective resistance to Trump and his MAGA forces. And lacking a mechanism to stimulate mass resistance to these despotic forces – who are rapidly crystalizing with an authoritarian big business, military, and Christian ideological center – there is at this point little standing in the way of a Trumpist takeover.

Sometimes the words of a broken-down monarch, eager to serve his master, and extend his own sweet deal a little longer, reveals more than what was intended. I am glad I watched the speech after all, and I encourage others to do likewise.