Donald Trump suggested America could join King Charles III’s Commonwealth prompting a MAGA backlash—though some may have misconstrued exactly what membership of the voluntary association of 56 states might actually mean in practice.
The issue arose because of a story in U.K. tabloid The Sun suggesting the monarch might make a secret offer to the U.S. president during a proposed state visit.
Nothing was confirmed officially and the story might have passed by with little comment were it not for the fact Trump responded to it on Truth Social, writing: “I Love King Charles. Sounds good to me!”
That in turn prompted a MAGA backlash, with warnings of a collapse in Trump’s support should he proceed coupled with Alex Jones suggesting a repeat of the American Revolution.
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What Joining the Commonwealth Would Mean in Practice
One misconception in some of the public discussion is that Britain runs or controls the Commonwealth—it does not. Nor would membership bring America under Charles’ control.
Some—including Jones—appear to be confusing it with the Commonwealth Realms, countries around the world that count the king as their head of state.
Jones said that when Justin Trudeau stepped down as Canadian prime minister, he “invoked the king of England and the charter and the governor general charter and he dissolved Parliament.
“So these so called Commonwealths that are independent, they’re not independent and that’s why they’re all under censorship.”
Canadian politicians might well have some objections to the comment about censorship, but needless to say, Ottawa does have a governor general who is the king’s representative in the country.
However, this has nothing to do with membership of the Commonwealth of Nations. It is because Canada is a Commonwealth Realm, a country that counts the king as head of state. There is an overlap in language, but the two are actually completely different and most Commonwealth countries are not realms.
In reality, it is a voluntary association of countries which is predominantly focused on encouraging cooperation, trade and shared values.
There may, though, be aspects which do still inflame Trump’s base, which has a staunchly anti-globalization slant.
The Commonwealth’s Principles
It is not completely clear what the difference would be between becoming an associate member and a full member.
However, membership usually requires a country to sign up to various declarations outlining Commonwealth values, including the 1971 Declaration of Commonwealth Principles.
“We recognize racial prejudice as a dangerous sickness threatening the healthy development of the human race and racial discrimination as an unmitigated evil of society,” it states.
“Each of us will vigorously combat this evil within our own nation. No country will afford to regimes which practice racial discrimination assistance which in its own judgment directly contributes to the pursuit or consolidation of this evil policy.”
On trade, it continues: “We believe that the wide disparities in wealth now existing between different sections of mankind are too great to be tolerated; they also create world tensions; our aim is their progressive removal.
“To this end, our aim is to achieve the freest possible flow of international trade on terms fair and equitable to all, taking into account the special requirements of the developing countries.”
Other declarations contain more specific denunciations of the kind of protectionist trade policies Trump is pursuing through tariffs, with the Vancouver Declaration on World Trade, 1987, stating: “The Commonwealth leaders representing a wide range of both developed and developing countries note with grave concern rising global protectionist pressures.”
And a 2009 Climate Change Declaration stated: “Climate change is the predominant global challenge.”
“Science, and our own experience, tells us that we only have a few short years to address this threat,” it added. “The average global temperature has risen because of the increase in carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions.
“The latest scientific evidence indicates that in order to avoid dangerous climate change that is likely to have catastrophic impacts, we must find solutions using all available avenues. We must act now.”
The declaration is a long way from Trump’s famous statement, “drill baby, drill.”
What Donald Trump’s Membership Would Mean for the Commonwealth
The other question, though, is what America joining would mean for other Commonwealth countries in an era in which Trump has cut USAID.
Afua Hagan, a U.K.-based royal expert, told Newsweek: “Donald Trump joining the Commonwealth could only be detrimental to the Commonwealth.
“Even on Commonwealth Day, I find myself thinking what really is the point and the purpose of the Commonwealth right now.
“It doesn’t really have any power or influence if you compare it to BRICS [an intergovernmental organization consisting of 10 countries] or the African Union. It exists for cooperation and friendship. Most of the countries in the Commonwealth are in the global south.
“And then you have the United States which is becoming increasingly hostile to countries in the global south who have Black and brown people in them.
“So I think it would be to the absolute detriment of countries in the Commonwealth if the United States joined.
“But I also don’t think the United States truly understands what the Commonwealth is for. It’s about cooperation, friendship and enhancement of countries in the global south, which is exactly the opposite of what America currently stands for.
“Trump got rid of USAID, which is going to push thousands of people into poverty, it’s going to make healthcare harder to access for thousands of people, it’s going to make the world more insecure. I don’t think a country like that has a place within the Commonwealth.”
The Process for Joining
Another major stumbling block for Trump would likely be the hoops countries are expected to jump through in order to join.
States are usually required to engage in a four-stage process before their application is then put to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, where entry comes only if existing nations agree it should happen.
Trump might think it was not worth risking the humiliation of a small island in the South Pacific, for example, or even Canada, derailing an attempt by America to join.
Jack Royston is chief royal correspondent for Newsweek, based in London. You can find him on X, formerly Twitter, at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek’s The Royals Facebook page.
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