President Trump said Friday he liked the idea of the United States joining the British Commonwealth after a report claimed King Charles III would make an offer.
‘I love King Charles,’ Trump wrote on Truth Social Friday morning while linking to an article citing a Daily Mail report that said the monarch would secretly offer the U.S. associate membership in the Commonwealth during Trump’s second state visit to Britain. ‘Sounds good to me!’
Trump also reposted the same report about the king’s ‘secret’ offer of membership late Saturday morning.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment.
The British Commonwealth, created in 1926, is made up of 56 countries, including Australia and Canada, most of which were originally British colonies. The monarch is the head of the Commonwealth, whose maintenance was a major priority of Queen Elizabeth II.
Membership is voluntary.
The U.S. was part of the British Empire before winning independence after the Revolution.
India was the first country to decide to remain within the Commonwealth after gaining independence in 1947.
Trump had a friendly relationship with the late queen and always spoke highly of her.
‘I got to know her very well, and, you know, I got to know her in her ’90s, OK, but she was great,’ Trump told Fox News’ Mark Levin in 2023. ‘This is a woman … 75 years she reigned, and she never made a mistake.’
Trump has also praised Charles and the heir to the throne, Prince William, whom he met with in December in Paris, but he had fewer nice things to say about Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle.
The president is scheduled to meet with King Charles during a rare second state visit later this year. He met with the late queen and Charles during his first state visit in 2019.
The Daily Mail said Commonwealth membership was first floated during Trump’s first term, and this time around the hope is that it would ease tensions between the U.S. and Canada as the countries trade tariff threats.
‘This is being discussed at the highest levels,’ a member of the Royal Commonwealth Society told the Daily Mail. ‘It would be 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.’
Late last month, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer presented Trump with Charles’ invitation for a second state visit while the two politicians were meeting in the Oval Office.
‘I think that just symbolizes the strength of the relationship between us. This is a very special letter. I think the last state visit was a tremendous success,’ Starmer said. ‘His majesty the king wants to make this even better than that.’
Trump responded, ‘The answer is yes. On behalf of our wonderful first lady Melania and myself, the answer is yes, and we look forward to being there and honoring the king and honoring, really, your country. Your country is a fantastic country.’
Trump described Charles as ‘beautiful’ and a ‘wonderful man.’
‘I’ve gotten to know him very well actually, first term and, now, a second term,’ he added.