One year ago, during the London Playwrights’ #WrAP Challenge, I found myself crafting a dark, satirical play called Charming Charlie. At the time, it was my second play (Sanctuary being the first), and it felt like a necessary act of artistic resistance—a way to grapple with the terrifying possibility of Donald Trump returning to power. Now, as Inauguration Day looms and he prepares to retake the Oval Office, I’m haunted by how much of that dystopian satire feels eerily plausible.

Writing Charming Charlie

The process of writing Charming Charlie began with the gnawing fear of what could happen if unchecked authoritarianism took hold in the United States. “Charming” Charlie Aycock, the titular character, is a thinly-veiled Trump stand-in: a grotesque mix of con artist, mob boss, and charismatic demagogue. Through his bombastic speeches and chilling rhetoric, Charlie reflects the dangerous allure of populism turned authoritarian. His followers’ chants of “Where we go one, we go all!” mirror the real-life QAnon slogans that have fueled a rise in extremist movements.

In the play’s Inauguration Day Monologue, Charlie’s rhetoric combines absurdity with menace, mimicking Trump’s blundering speech pattern. His promises to close borders, pardon insurrectionists, and “eliminate the woke scourge” might have felt like hyperbole when I wrote them, but now, as reality edges closer to satire, they feel uncomfortably prophetic.

Inauguration Day Monologue

“Charming” Charlie Aycock’s inaugural address:

CHARLIE: 3 impeachments, 46 convictions, and 248 different (fake) charges—Liberal propaganda, that’s all. That’s all it is—They can’t keep me down! But I was never down. I stood tall. Through the witch hunts and slander. I stood tall and fought back, like all true Americans do. We’re strong. We’re stronger than those elitist, entitled snowflakes. We’re the strongest. I’m the strongest president to ever sit in the Oval Office, and today I’ll return to my rightful place there. Those snowflakes are crying in their corn flakes. So stupid to doubt me. Just stupid. I’m smart. I’m a genius. I’m the smartest president America has ever had—and the biggest patriot. Patriots are in control! Where we go one, we go all!

…Now that the country is mine again, we will do good things—the best things ever done for this country, and that starts by closing our borders. That’s right. My first act as president today will be to close our borders to anyone and everyone. I’m dead serious. No one can sway me. Congress, they can’t sway me. I don’t care what they say. I’m the president, so I can do what I want in my official duties—whatever. I. want. The Supreme Court has decreed it, so the first order of business is to close the borders. Keep all those spics and towel heads out. In fact, anyone who aren’t true Americans—born here—this is your one and only warning to go home. GO HOME.

That’s right. They’ll call this the Great Exodus because it’s great. Because I’m great. I will go down in history. I will be a great historian. That’s right—go back where you belong because American isn’t for you. You aren’t Americans. You are invaders, squatters, and we want you to go home. You will go home, or we will round you up and send you home. Keep ‘em out. That’s right. Keep ‘em out. We’ll build that wall. 20 feet high and another 10 feet deep, so they can’t dig under. That’s right—they won’t be able to dig that far! One across Mexico and another to the north for Canada. We don’t want you down here either. Nope. America is for Americans only. My first order of business, and this is the best thing any president can do on his first day.

So go. You’ve had your warning. You all have a week to get out before we come for you. Now. Construction of the wall—my wall, the best wall—will begin tomorrow and will be completed in six weeks. That’s right. That’s how many people we have working on it. Thousands of patriots. Thousands of Promise Keepers donating their time to build these walls. My walls, and they’re the best walls. They’ll be better than China’s Wall. American walls! Charlie’s Walls! That’s what the history books will call it, and America will be secure. I’ll be the first president in history to make his country secure from outsiders. No more dirty immigrants! The Storm is coming! Where we go one, we go all!

GO HOME. We say GO HOME. One week. You have one week. Okay. Next order of business: free the patriots wrongly imprisoned! Free the hostages! Pardon them. Pardon all of them! Any patriot imprisoned for trying to STOP THE STEAL last election—the election I won fair and square. I got the most votes of any president ever. Me. But they cheated. They stuffed ballot boxes. They bought off poll workers and election officials. That’s right. That’s what they did. They bought them off. They bought them off. But I’m back! They can’t keep me down. So–pardon all those patriots who stood by me. I told you…I told them…I told you all that I would pardon them, and I keep my promises. I’m a man of my word. That’s right. A man of my word. You are all hereby pardoned. Hear that wardens? Release the Patriot Boys now. That’s right. Go over with your little key ring and open their cells. Release them now. I have said it. I have spoken, and I’m right. I’m very right here.

Woke people…no protests! None of those for the pardoned Patriot Boys. For those fine patriots. Anyone protesting over this will be punished. Flogged. Arrested. The next in prison. That’s right. Zero tolerance. We will build the wall and eliminate the Woke Scourge, together.

In fact, I’ll go a step further—because I’m great, I’m brave. I’m the bravest president in all of American History. So brave. That’s me. Yes! Brave! I will rid this country of the Woke Scourge, so it is my honor—my duty—to invoke the Insurrection Act. That’s right! The Insurrection Act. You’ll all be proud of my courage, as always. We’ll purge this country of the Woke Scourge—hashtag #WokeScourge. That’s right. #WokeScurge. We must stop them. They’re more violent than ever, so we must act now! They want to emasculate us, to deny what’s rightfully ours, to destroy our very way of life. Take our guns away and make us defenseless. They’ll be the defenseless ones. Patriots are in control! We are the Storm! Where we go one, we go all!

Patriots, I call on you to fight the war here at home. You are my army, my private army—my keepers of the peace, defenders of the constitution—and we stand tall for freedom and liberty together. Fight for us. U.S. That’s how you spell us, right? U.S. I made that connection. No one else has ever made the connection but me. I’m a genius in that way. Everyone knows, but they won’t say it. They won’t ever admit my genius. This is about us—U.S.! Protecting us! So, take up arms, soldiers! Your second amendment right! This is not the time to back and stand by. These anti-American traitors—these terrorists—have tried to overtake us, but we have remained strong. I’m the strongest and smartest president in American history. You know it—so take up your arms! It’s time to fight! Fight for freedom! Fight for liberty. Fight for justice for all….for us. For U.S.! You and me. For me. For mostly me. Fight for me!

That’s right. Fight for me. Eliminate the #WokeScurge. Take down Antifa. Round them up! I’ll build special camps just for them—re-education centers to unbrainwash them. Give them a chance to become good Americans. Fine Americans like all of you.

Fight for me. Round them up. Anyway you can. There are no consequences. This is a direct order from your commanding officer. Fight for our freedom.
One people. One Nation. One Leader.

A Chilling Reflection of the Present

When I revisit this monologue, I can’t help but wonder how many of these “predictions” will manifest in the coming days and months. The play’s satirical edge now feels like a sharp critique of where we’re headed if vigilance and resistance wane. Charlie’s unchecked bravado and his followers’ unyielding devotion mirror the fervor of today’s political landscape, where facts are often dismissed as fake news and authoritarian tendencies are justified as patriotism.

Why Charming Charlie Matters Now

As a playwright, my goal is to provoke thought and spark conversation. Charming Charlie isn’t just a cautionary tale; it’s a call to action. It asks us to examine how we’ve arrived at this moment and, more importantly, what we can do to prevent the descent into further chaos. Through its characters, who range from activists and journalists to unwitting accomplices, the play explores the complexities of resistance in a time when the truth itself is under siege.

Moving Forward

This Monday, as the nation witnesses another Inauguration Day, I’ll be reflecting on Charming Charlie and the power of storytelling as a form of resistance. I’ll also be watching—perhaps with a mix of dread and determination—to see which elements of my satire blur into reality.

What are your thoughts? Are you seeing parallels between fiction and reality? How do we, as artists and citizens, fight back against the encroaching tide of authoritarianism?

Let’s keep the conversation going.