The Lockean Liberalism of King Charles III's Rebuttal of Trump in His Address to Congress

 

King Charles III addressed a joint session of the U.S. Congress yesterday.  This is only the second time that a British monarch has spoken to the Congress.  The first was in 1991 when Queen Elizabeth II spoke to Congress during President George H. W. Bush's administration.

The occasion for this speech was to mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.  Remarkably, even though the Declaration was a declaration of war with Great Britain, Charles asserted that the Lockean liberal principles of the Declaration were grounds of agreement between the American and British peoples.  Moreover, he implicitly invoked those principles in attacking Trump's authoritarian rule.

Here's the main theme of his speech:

Ours is a partnership born of dispute, but no less strong for it, so perhaps, in this example, we can discern that our nations are in fact instinctively like-minded--a product of the common democratic, legal, and social traditions in which our governance is rooted to this day.  Drawing on these values and traditions, time and again, our two countries have always found ways to come together.

He then suggested that those "common democratic, legal, and social traditions" justified checking Trump's power.

Our Declaration of Rights of 1689 was not only the foundation of our constitutional monarchy, but also provided the source of so many of the principles reiterated, often verbatim, in the American Bill of Rights of 1791.

And those roots go even further back in our history: the U.S. 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.

I heard this as a tacit reference to Trump's attempts to suspend the right to due process of law that have been challenged in the courts.  We could also hear this as an appeal to the Congress to check Trump's executive power.  

Notice also that in accepting the Declaration of Rights of 1689, Charles III acknowledges the mistake made by Charles I and Charles II in claiming that Rex is Lex--the same mistake made by Trump when he claims "as President, I can do anything I want to do."

Actually, Charles was explicit in reminding Congress that they should have the supreme power in protecting liberty from authoritarian one-man rule.

Distinguished members of the 119th Congress, it is here in these very halls that this spirit of liberty and the promise of America's founders is present in every session and every vote cast.  Not by the will of one, but by the deliberation of many, representing the living mosaic of the United States.

Not by the will of one!

Charles also invoked Christianity as one of the social traditions shared by the British and American peoples.

And, Mr. Speaker, for many here--and for myself--the Christian faith is a firm anchor and daily inspiration that guides us not only personally, but together as members of our community.

At this point, House Speaker Mike Johnson, sitting behind the King, smiled and shook his head in agreement, which was to be expected considering that he has been so adamant in affirming America to be a Christian nation guided by God's providence.  But while Johnson has denied the Lockean principles of religious toleration and separation of church and state, the King has affirmed those principles--particularly in his coronation three years ago.  He reaffirmed that in his speech by speaking of the need "to value all people, of all faiths, and of none."

The second half of the King's speech was devoted entirely to defending the military alliance of America and Great Britain and the NATO alliance as essential for protecting the principles of liberty and equality and also for securing the freedom of trade and cultural exchange necessary for economic growth.  As part of that argument, the King insisted that "unyielding resolve is needed for the defense of Ukraine and her most courageous people."

The King's speech to Congress was thus a powerful argument against Trump's attempts to break up the military, economic, and cultural alliance of the U.S. with Great Britain and the rest of Europe that has advanced the Lockean principles of the Declaration of Independence.