To read the full text of the podcast and the links to the quoted materials, please see:
https://erm76.substack.com/p/for-the-want-of-a-nail-trump-charles
In this podcast, we're going to analyze some of the Trump Administration's actions when measured against two of the key statements made in the King Charles speech to Congress. These range from references to ties between the US, UK and NATO to the twin concepts of the rule of law and an impartial judiciary. The latter are particularly important to any living democracy.
But unlike Charles' soft-diplomatic approach, we're going to take a hard look at the Trump Administration and its actions.
1. In our reality, President Trump has stated on numerous occasions that NATO has never helped the United States. This isn't true. NATO allies responded after the USA was attacked on 9/11. Trump also denigrated the lives of allied soldiers who died in support of the US mission, and he threatened to use force to take Greenland.
2. The importance of the rule of law and an independent judiciary are covered. But the Trump Administration has not supported this ideal in practice. For example, it filed a number of emergency applications with the Supreme Court challenging rulings impeding its policies. And in the majority of cases, the Court agreed with the Administration, which has ultimately increased the power of the executive office. Further, some of the Trump Administration's decisions are wrapped in racism, such as the attempt to cancel the TPS program for, in one example, Haitians living in the US.
And finally, when I finished the podcast, I thought, how could one man cause so much damage? We've dealt with corruption before, as is the case with Joe McCarthy and Richard Nixon. But neither person so affected the country and the world.
But I think I found a partial answer to my question. It's the essence of an old poem, For Want of a Nail.
For the want of a nail the shoe was lost,
For the want of a shoe the horse was lost,
For the want of a horse the rider was lost,
For the want of a rider the battle was lost,
For the want of a battle the kingdom was lost,
And all for the want of a horseshoe-nail.
For you see, President Trump is the one who pulled the nail from the horse's shoe.
Notes:
* “For the Want of a nail the shoe was lost,” ascribed to Benjamin Franklin, Goodreads. https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/626466-for-the-want-of-a-nail-the-shoe-was-lost
** The US is considered a Constitutional Republic, but the term democracy or representative democracy, also applies.
*** The famous line from the Dumas book is: “All for one, and one for all;” “Tous pour un, un pour tous.”
**** The current Yankees team is in a similar slump. They last won the Series in 2009.
(1) “Read the complete transcript of King Charles III's speech to Congress,” AP. Updated April 29, 2026. Please note: all of the King's speech remarks are from this cite unless otherwise noted.
https://apnews.com/article/king-charles-iii-us-congress-speech-9ff638ae63a41289dbd9ebfbb550e40e
(2) “Trump claim on NATO role in Afghanistan draws UK condemnation,” by Caolán Magee, Al Jazeera. January 23, 2026. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/1/23/trump-claim-on-nato-role-in-afghanistan-draws-condemnation
(3) IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF OREGON. Case No. 3:25-cv-1756-IM. OPINION AND ORDER GRANTING MOTION FOR TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER. https://www.portland.gov/federal/documents/10-4-2025-state-city-v-trump-temporary-restraining-order-granted/download
(4) “Judges vexed by Supreme Court ‘shadow docket' rulings in Trump cases” by Jan Wolfe and Nate Raymond, Reuters. September 10, 2025. https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/judges-vexed-by-supreme-court-shadow-docket-rulings-trump-cases-2025-09-10/.
(5) “Supreme Court Shadow Docket Tracker — Challenges to Trump Administration Actions,” Brennan Center. Updated April 16, 2026. https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/supreme-court-shadow-docket-tracker-challenges-trump-administration
(6) UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA FRITZ EMMANUEL LESLY MIOT, et al., Plaintiffs, v. DONALD J. TRUMP, et al., Defendants. Case No. 25-cv-02471 (ACR). https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/02/02/us/haitians-tps-ruling.html
(7) “Court considers whether Trump administration properly ended temporary protected status for Haitian and Syrian nationals,” by Amy Howe, SCOTUSblog. April 29, 2026. https://www.scotusblog.com/2026/04/court-considers-whether-trump-administration-properly-ended-temporary-protected-status-for-haiti/
(8) Haiti Travel Advisory, Department of State, April 16, 2026. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/haiti-travel-
(9) “Animus-Based Discrimination Definition,” https://www.quimbee.com/keyterms/animus-based-discrimination
(10) “Federal Court Stay of Haiti TPS Termination Remains in Effect; Case Now Before the US Supreme Court” by Eric S. Bord, Morgan Lewis Law Firm. March 19, 2026. https://www.morganlewis.com/pubs/2026/03/federal-court-stay-of-haiti-tps-termination-remains-in-effect-case-now-before-the-us-supreme-court
(11) UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA FRITZ EMMANUEL LESLY MIOT, et al., Plaintiffs, v. DONALD J. TRUMP, et al., Defendants. Case No. 25-cv-02471 (ACR). https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/02/02/us/haitians-tps-ruling.html
(12) “Court considers whether Trump administration properly ended temporary protected status for Haitian and Syrian nationals,” by Amy Howe, SCOTUSblog, Apr. 29, 2026, https://www.scotusblog.com/2026/04/court-considers-whether-trump-administration-properly-ended-temporary-protected-status-for-haiti/