US President Donald Trump appeared to endorse the idea of joining the Commonwealth of Nations — the organisation largely composed of former British colonies and run by King Charles III — in a social media post.
Trump was responding on Friday to a US Sun article based on a Daily Mail report that the British monarch could pitch Trump on joining the Commonwealth as an “associate member” during an upcoming state visit to the UK.
“I Love King Charles. Sounds good to me!” Trump wrote.
While Buckingham Palace declined to comment, a person familiar with the process said Commonwealth membership isn't a matter for the monarch. The prime minister's office, which is coordinating the state visit invitation, didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
The US president has fuelled diplomatic tensions within the Commonwealth with his feud with Canada, a member and the US's northern neighbour. Trump has hiked tariffs on the country and spoken about his desire to annex Canada, which has King Charles as its head of state.
The British monarch doesn't hold any explicit power over Commonwealth nations, though has occasionally wielded the symbolic role to exert influence over foreign affairs.
Commonwealth nations are expected to agree to a set of shared values — laid out in the 1971 Singapore Declaration — that include support for the United Nations, the eradication of economic inequality, free trade, and the elimination of discrimination. The British overseas territory of Gibraltar holds associate membership.
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