President Donald Trump appears interested in King Charles III’s reported “secret offer” to make the United States an “associate member” of the British Commonwealth.
It is unclear what associate membership in the Commonwealth would entail. The White House did not provide further details when reached by The Epoch Times for comment. The publication has also contacted the British Embassy in the United States for more information.
The Commonwealth has 56 members, including Canada, New Zealand, Australia, India, and Mozambique.
Notably, Trump has locked horns with Canada, repeatedly saying it should join the United States as a state. Canada has said it has no interest in being part of the United States, which declared independence from Great Britain in 1776.
“It’s a great honor because it’s never happened before,” the president said on Feb. 27 in an Oval Office meeting with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, referring to the possibility of being the first sitting U.S. president to make two state visits to the UK.
A White House official previously told The Epoch Times that it has not been decided when Trump will visit the UK and what issues will be discussed.
Trump last visited the UK as president in 2019, during Queen Elizabeth II’s reign, when Charles was the Prince of Wales.
“Visits by American Presidents always remind us of the close and longstanding friendship between the United Kingdom and the United States, and I am so glad that we have another opportunity to demonstrate the immense importance that both our countries attach to our relationship,” the queen said during Trump’s visit.
Starmer, during the Oval Office meeting, said the royal family is pulling out all the stops for Trump’s visit.
“I think the last state visit was a tremendous success,” the prime minister said. “The king wants to make this even better than that.”
