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 open to the idea.
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.
Trump’s rhetoric towards America’s northern neighbor, which which it shares the world’s largest unguarded land border, has inflamed passions among Canadians who’ve taken umbrage at what has amounted to an unprovoked trade war waged by the American leaders against one of his country’s largest trading partners.
The president has imposed tariffs on many Canadian imports and threatened to raise the import taxes — which are paid by American consumers — even higher, while claiming that the U.S. trade deficit with Canada amounts to an unfair subsidy of Ottawa by Washington.
Bringing America into the Commonwealth’s embrace could, in theory, bring down the temperature by reshaping the diplomatic contours of the U.S.-Canada relationship while further deepening the “special relationship” between the United States and her former colonial parent.
If membership is offered and accepted, longer would America send an Ambassador to the Court of St James as it has done since John Adams presented his credentials to King George III in June 1785. Washington’s emissary to Ottawa would no longer be an Ambassador, either, and neither would the top diplomats sent by the U.K. or Canada to the U.S. That’s because Commonwealth nations appoint “high commissioners” to represent each other’s interests in their respective capitals.
The 56-member bloc has roots in the post-Second World War era when the U.K. began divesting itself of its’ massive colonial empire. And Canada, the subject of current tensions with the U.S., was the first member.
Most, but not all, of the current Commonwealth members are former British dominions or colonies.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Independent.
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