Nearly 250 years after America cast off the shackles of empire by declaring independence from Great Britain, President Donald Trump appears inclined to take a small step back towards the warm embrace of the British monarchy by accepting an invitation from King Charles III for the United States to join the Commonwealth of Nations.
The King is reportedly preparing to extend the offer of “associate membership” in the voluntary association of 56 nations, most of which have history as former British colonies. And Trump, it seems, is ready to accept.
Writing on his Truth Social platform while sharing an article referencing the unprecedented offer, Trump said: “I Love King Charles. Sounds good to me!”
First reported by the Daily Mail, the offer from Charles III would be formally extended during the planned state visit by Trump to the U.K. which was revealed as in the works after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer delivered a hand-written invitation from the King to the U.S. leader during a visit to the White House last month.
A member of the Royal Commonwealth Society told The Mail that the possibility of America making entry into the Commonwealth is “being discussed at the highest levels” as “a wonderful move that would symbolize Britain’s close relationship with the U.S.”
“Donald Trump loves Britain and has great respect for the Royal Family, so we believe he would see the benefits of this. Associate membership could, hopefully, be followed by full membership, making the Commonwealth even more important as a global organization,” the person added.
Having America joining the Commonwealth, even as an associate member, could be a way for Charles to smooth over tensions between Washington, London and Ottawa that have erupted over Trump’s frequently-stated desire to make Canada — a Commonwealth founding member and one of the 15 nations that still counts the King as head of state — the 51st American state rather than the fully independent nation it has been since the 1982 Canadian constitution removed the country’s vestigial legal dependence on the British parliament.
More follows…
