Trump gets HUMILIATED in front of joint session of Congress
By: Brian Tyler Cohen
King Charles has unexpectedly made some sorely needed diplomatic points. Normally this would be offensive, but these are not normal times and a foreign head of state —a king no less— has taken the extraordinary measure of reminding the US Congress that we are a democracy and that presidential powers need to have enforced checks and balances.
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Transcript formatted by ChatGPT:
King Charles: The US Supreme Court Historical Society has calculated that Magna Carta is cited in at least 160 Supreme Court cases since 1789, not least as the foundation of the principle that executive power is subject to checks and balances.
First of all, the irony is not lost on me that even a literal king is more democratic than the president of the world's oldest continuous democracy, a point that Trump's own White House put on full display when they tweeted "Two Kings." Were they trolling? Yes. Does Trump still think he's a king? Also yes.
But second, it is also not lost on me, or anyone in that room, that when King Charles decides to extol the virtues of the system of checks and balances that we have, he is doing so for a reason. I do not think that if President Obama or Biden were in office, a foreign head of state would need to come in and remind the joint session of Congress about how our system of government works. And yet, because this Congress has decided to contract every ounce of their agency, their autonomy, over to Trump because they've decided that they would rather take up residence in the warmth of Trump's colon, suddenly the need for such a reminder becomes all the more urgent.
And honestly, my favorite part is that the Republicans were shamed into applauding because the Democrats started clapping first, and they didn't want to sit in silence because they would essentially be telling on themselves. So instead, even the Republicans had to give a standing ovation to King Charles as he essentially called them out for their blind subservience to a wannabe despot. I would imagine that would have to be pretty embarrassing, but then again, I don't exactly think these Republicans are capable of shame.
In fact, this isn't the only time where the King of England put Republicans in an uncomfortable position.
King Charles: In the immediate aftermath of 9/11, when NATO invoked Article 5 for the first time and the United Nations Security Council was united in the face of terror, we answered the call together, as our people have done so for more than a century, shoulder to shoulder through two world wars, the Cold War, Afghanistan, and moments that have defined our shared security. Today, Mr. Speaker, that same unyielding resolve is needed for the defense of Ukraine and her most courageous people. It is needed in order to secure a truly just and lasting peace.
First of all, promoting NATO is going to be a tough sell for the right, considering Trump isn't exactly a fan of NATO, what with their inclusion of democracies. If given the choice, he would side with the world's autocrats and dictators 10 times out of 10, 100 times out of 100. And so here, an entire alliance of countries that don't subjugate their citizens, or stack elections in their favor, or suppress dissenting voices in the media, ain't going to fly with Trump, or by extension his party, which takes all of its cues from the god-king.
And by the way, that Ukraine point that King Charles makes is the same deal. Trump clearly does not support Ukraine because he's infatuated with Vladimir Putin of Russia. He doesn't care about the sanctity of democracy. He wants to support the strongmen and autocrats of the world. That is the club he wants to be in. And it's not like King Charles doesn't know that. Meaning, he made the conscious decision to stand in front of the entire Congress. That wasn't an accident, and he knows exactly who his audience is. It's just a shame that the reminder is necessary for a bunch of lawmakers and senators who live in and represent constituents of a democracy.
So, look, do I expect Trump to get the subtle dig? Maybe, maybe not. On one hand, he's so ham-handed that I doubt he even gets the reference. I don't know that subtle jabs about government systems are discernible to somebody who thinks that identifying a giraffe on a dementia test is worthy of a celebration. At the same time, maybe an unhinged Truth Social post is already in the works. Hell, he might have posted it by the time you read this. The point is, it is beyond clear what King Charles was trying to say.
And again, for a literal king to have more respect for democracy than a democratically elected president of the United States of America really does show the extent to which Trump has lost the plot. And sure, the King of England is a symbolic position, but he doesn't have to extol the virtues of democracy. He could openly lust for power and wealth like the autocrats that Trump so admires do, but he doesn't. If only Donald Trump could find it in himself to show the same level of restraint, but of course he won't because he can't.
And finally, one more point by King Charles that won't sit well with Trump or his party.
King Charles: It is the very fact of our vibrant, diverse, and free societies that gives us our collective strength, including to support victims of some of the ills that so tragically exist in both our societies today.
To quote, "support victims of some of the ills that so tragically exist in both of our countries today." I wonder what, or who, he could possibly be talking about there. As the Epstein scandal has implicated both King Charles's brother, Prince Andrew, and the president of the United States, Donald Trump, it's also not lost on anybody in that room what he's referencing there, a point that I'm sure Trump is not going to be super excited about, considering, well:
"Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein? This guy's been talked about for years. You're asking, we have Texas, we have this, we have all of the things, and are people still talking about this guy, this creep? That is unbelievable. Do you want to waste the time, and do you feel like answering?"
"I don't mind answering. I mean, I can't believe you're asking a question on Epstein at a time like this, where we're having some of the greatest success, and also tragedy, with what happened in Texas. It just seems like a desecration."
Yeah, something tells me that that guy isn't falling over himself to talk about Epstein more. And yet, the reality is that there are countless topics Trump is on the wrong side of, from a sex trafficking ring to global relationships to democracy itself. And the fact that everything Charles says feels like a personal attack against Trump is not a commentary on what King Charles is saying. It is a commentary on what Donald Trump is doing.
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Well said. Should not need to be stated to the Congress of the USA. But it is needed because the PotUS is doing everything he can to exploit the power and influence of the presidency for his own self-aggrandizement and personal wealth.
Embarrassing. Very.
It is a disgusting outrage that Trump's staff would type, "Two kings" for Trump who is not a king standing alongside King Charles. Where is MAGA asking for someone to be fired?! Fired, I say!!!
And, the GOP ought to be publicly shamed (though I am sure the true king with the bloodline to prove it did not mean to embarrass the party in its 'home') in honor of our 250th anniversary as a nation. . . the majority party in the House has to have a foreign king, our colonies former king through descent, remind them of WHO THEY ARE (are SAY the are)leaders of the world's greatest REPUBLIC and its democratic aspirations, practices, and policies as the GOP kneels before a mere president who will not keep faith with this nation or its allies . . . without calling for transactions!
Let me tell you. . . it is as if King Charles has been 'waiting in the wing' all his life for this moment as king - in our Congress - to call the GOP back to order and its political senses.
Surely I hope the king, the true king that has visited us, can connect with our GOP and 'prick' their consciences that as of now: Enough is enough!
As for Trump, this. . .man simply does not know how to not be an offense. How long has he had designs to embarrass himself on King Charles by 'monkeying around' with an image-making of "Two kings"? Who dreamt up that little 'gem'?
A reference to Epstein and the attempted cover-up.
Lol. sure.
You don't think that was the reference? Seems obvious given how he has been making his points.
Morning Tig..you are spot on..the Queen when alive and now Charles will never mention by name if there is something so insidious going on in another country but they wish address it...
They will use veiled hints and innuendo to get across the message.. obviously most you mob over there missed it about Epstein...
It's called Royal Protocol and the Queen and now Charles are very subtitle about it and play it very well...
Can't believe you mob never picked it up when it's glaringly obvious what was been stated...we certainly did here...
Much of the bad news regarding Trump is picked up by his supporters ... they just use faux obtuseness as one of their tactics.
After all, how can anyone with at least normal intelligence NOT recognize that Trump tried to steal the 2020 election? Yet many will never acknowledge that fact and some actually deny it. And that is just for starters.
Trump not only is doing global damage, but he is embarrassing the hell out of many (likely a majority) of us in the USA. What is frustrating is that Congress, and to a degree the SCotUS, is accommodating this abysmal human being.
A complement to our societies for supporting victims is a secret reference to Epstein in your book? sure
Lol. The last people in the world who can throw stones about this are the British. Their government literally covered up the rape of thousands of young men by Muslim rape gangs.
The idea that Charles, or any Brit, would ever chide another government on this topic is preposterous.
What's funny is you claim this without apparently realizing that if their was an "Epstein cover up," the primarily guilty parties would be the Obama and Biden DOJs. But again, the Epstein conspiracy has nothing to do with facts, logic or even reality.
How so?
Mass cult mentality. They get their understanding of reality from the cult leader, not reality itself.
So much for human "intelligence."
I think I heard last night that someone in the British delegation confirmed that, but it had to be vague because Charles isn't supposed to discuss it directly because of the ongoing investigations or something.
English royalty always speaks this way. They make their positions known in an oblique style (intentionally 'vaguely clear').
This comment is a perfect example of faux obtuseness (and a strawman).
What a stupid comment.
No other PotUS has had a law demanding the release of the Epstein files. Trump is again uniquely the only PotUS who is defying a legal requirement to release the files.
It's comical, and shows how deep the rot its, that progressives apparently can't cope with fact the the Democratic DOJs were privy to (and created) the contents of the Epstein files. If you believe, against all reason, logic and evidence, believe the Epstein files contain evidence of secret crimes that haven't been prosecuted, than it's impossible for the last two democratic administrations to not have been thoroughly involved in the coverup.
Again you ignore the obvious.
We do not know why the Ds did not pursue the Epstein files. You speculate grand conspiracy. We do know that Merrick Garland was very wary of stirring the political pot. But we do not know the priorities of the prior DoJs.
We do know, for a fact, that the current Congress demanded the release of the Epstein files through legislation. It is law. Right now.
You can keep trying to ignore the fact that Trump is the only PotUS who has been ordered to release the files and is clearly obfuscating. But that tactic is stupidly obvious.
Because they investigated the allegations. After all, it was the Obama administration who interviewed and Virginia Guiffre and investigative her allegations, which are by far the most snestional that have been made.
I'd love for someone to explain how these "Epstein files" were created across the Obama and Biden administrations bookending trump and yet somehow they don't know what's in them? How do believers in the conspiracy imagine the FBI under Democrats avoided knowing anything about the documents they created in the cases they worked on?
Lol. not at all. Pay attention. It's the opposite,. I think its bananas to believe that professional FBI and DOJ employees engaged in a conspiracy across three administrations, especially given the partisan nature of the people involved.
I believe the evidence and the summaries of it written by the Obama DOJ, The Trump DOJ and the Biden DOJ. You should pay attention to reality and evidence, not partisan fever dreams. The FBI showed their work.
know that Merrick Garland was very wary of stirring the political pot
I don’t hold merrick garland, James Comey and countless other Biden DOJ officials in very high regard. Yet, I hold them in much higher regard than you do since you are willing to beleive they covered up a rape ring and I find the idea that they would do so preposterous.
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Do you recognize that the Epstein files became most notable during the first Trump administration? That was 2019 when he was arrested. It gained prominence (heavy public attention) in late 2018. Remember this?:
So while Epstein had his trouble with the law before this, his activities became prominent (highly reported; public knowledge), and Epstein was arrested and sitting in jail during Trump's first term .
Trump's first DoJ (Barr) did not pursue the release of the Epstein files and neither did Biden's DoJ (Garland). We know that Garland was reluctant to engage in highly political issues so that might explain (to some degree) why the release of the files was not a priority. But we can only speculate. And with Trump (Barr), the speculation is even on a grander scale.
I doubt they intentionally covered up a rape ring. The DoJ is always prioritizing its work. A lower priority does not translate into a cover-up. Again, none of us is privy to the information regarding how these two DoJs worked, their caseload, their priorities, etc.
But what we do know is a fact that you cannot escape.
Trump has the legal obligation (law specifically passed by this congress) to release the Epstein files and he is obstructing justice.
Right now. Right in front of your nose.
Do you really not know why the coverage only started to explode last summer? It's because it was an ongoing investigation over several administrations, including Trump's first one, and DOJ investigations are generally protected until concluded. At least that's what's been reported.
It wasn't until Bondi pulled a sudden 180, declared nothing to see here, and closed it in an apparent move to protect Trump that everyone jumped all over it demanding answers.
Er', is this really about rape of young men by gangs or something else? Please CLARIFY! I can not process what you wrote until it is clear.
I have often observed that some issues are too difficult and disruptive and undermining of our democracy. . .(think, Ford pardoning Nixon - how bad it looked and done all the same) and so wisdom suggests that those issues be swallowed whole and rules and policies put in place such that such matters can not rise to the same level again.
The issue for Trump is this issue 'blew-up' and partially due to his selling this issue in his campaign platform. It breathed life into it in the best (or worse) way possible. And then he COMPOUNDED the issue not following through on his promise. That is, Trump lied to MAGA (they took the lie to heart) and MAGA resents him for 'breaking faith' with it. And now, MAGA has to conclude if Trump has turned to lying to it. . . and 'withstanding' supporter power. . . WHAT ELSE will he lie to them about? Oh yeah, "No new wars, . . . " has turned into the Iran war.
Thus, this issue has metastasized under the second Trump Administration as he is the president who GAVE HIS WORD that he would do this thing once and for all. . . he would end the conspiracy. . . and all MAGA sees is one big lie that won't go away. Why? Because he did the UNTHINKABLE: Trump has gotten caught red-handed lying to his base about something for which it cares!
Because its nasty and some people simply wanted it to go away. . . (hide our national shame). . . and do better going forward. You know this. Trump should have known this too. They all simply want(ed) it to go away. . .and yet Trump told his base (with certainty) if he was given another 'bite' at the presidency he would EXPOSE all the secrets held in abeyance. . . he would point out, "where all the bodies are buried" - politically and literally. And he got elected . . . and broke his promise to the citizens. . . and worse to his BASE that really, deeply, want to see 'di-ks swing' over this.
It is clear and evident. . . Trump was only after votes and so he used the Epstein files as LEVERAGE against his own base!
Finally, you keep referring to the democratic party presidents that tried to 'cover up shame' by hands-off. It is pitiful that you will not recognize publicly anyway, that Trump manipulated his MAGA base for his own ends. It is as though he knew he would STIFF them and so he did it. And here you are working so hard to give him yet another "Mulligan."
"A reference to Epstein and the attempted cover-up"
who's brother was involved?
Charles' brother.
As Charles implied.
Why do you ask?
just pointing out the obvious, that the King skipped over after he opened the subject
Charles would not say anything so specific in public. His language was perfectly consistent in that regard. He named no names and talked in general terms, letting context disambiguate his language.
and that is why I asked
It is not the duty and responsibility of the King of England. . . to come here and make negative news. Wisdom speaks to this. Also, it is highly probable that the King has advisors who told him the limits of what he SHOULD say versus what he would like to say. Consider the America media. To put names out in the public is a solicitation (opening) for our media to ask "fifty questions" as follow-up. And how would that look here in the states? More to the point: What would it look like in the United Kingdom that a king on a diplomatic mission has opened wide his mouth to spout God only knows what?!
I appreciate the tact used. King Charles demonstrated to me that he can be a wise king and not just an undisciplined 'fool.'
He deigned to reference the issue in passing. Leaving room for the laws of both countries to pass their judgement without a kingly 'word' of approval or disapproval. The king's brother has embarrassed the royals. . . and that is a delicate manner. For that matter, I do not know that I would have liked to have been a 'bug' on the royal wall while Charles spoke to his brother about this!
That kind of news is not the reason the King brought his Queen to the States.
At all times the king has to remember his country FIRST and foremost. I think all his life Charles has been made ready for this 'moment' of leadership - difficult and complex matters of state and foreign affairs included.
I agree the "support victims of some of the ills. . . ." is about all a tactful King can say, seeing that he is a guest of the president who does not wish any raising of the 'level' on the subject matter.
Additionally, the lead-in portion of the sentence speaks to "diversity, freedom, and collectiveness which we all enjoy as a COMMUNITY despite the "bitches" in our society that want to keep some of their fellow citizens permanently "quagmire' for life! And go out of there way to suppress this citizenry.
the maga that responded to the king's speech most enthusiastically during the joint session of congress are coincidentally the same people that are absolutely clueless about what the british king was saying to them.
for all intents and purposes, trump is a king. king of the a-holes that think trump is living up to his oaths to preserve, protect, and defend the US constitution and also believe that as POTUS, he is above the law.
Including the king of clueless himself. Trump is not astute enough to be embarrassed by this spectacle.
Said directly to Congress, right to their faces. A reminder of their constitutional duty.
Looks like the British monarch is more of a small-r republican than Republicans in Congress, and much more than the criminal tyrant in the White House.
What a sad state of affairs.
I do think it is cool that King Charles is visiting Front Royal, VA not far from where I live
If anyone has paid attention they may have noticed that King Charles has worn his medals when meeting Trump. A bit of one-upmanship that Trump simply cannot match. (Charles did not wear those medals for the ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown or the visit to the 9/11 memorial or the address to Congress.)
Perfect!
Banksy is brilliant