Thousands of people have signed a petition expressing anger after Donald Trump’s nominee for US ambassador to Iceland reportedly joked that the Nordic country should become the 52nd state of the United States.
On Wednesday, just hours before senior officials from Greenland and Denmark met with US officials in an attempt to deflect Trump’s threats to take control of the Arctic island, Politico reported on similar comments about another Nordic island.
“We heard that former Congressman Billy Long, Trump’s nominee for ambassador to Iceland, jokingly told members in the chamber last night that Iceland would be the 52nd state and that he would be the governor,” Politico wrote.
The reaction in Reykjavik was immediate. In a statement to the Guardian, Iceland’s Foreign Ministry said it had contacted the US embassy for clarification. “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs contacted the US embassy in Iceland to verify the veracity of the alleged comments,” the statement said.
“These words, spoken by Billy Long, nominated by Donald Trump as ambassador to Iceland, may have been said in jest. However, they are insulting to Iceland and the Icelandic people, who have fought for their freedom and have always been friends of the United States.”
Within hours of its launch, more than 3,200 people had signed the petition, supporting the call for the US to appoint another person who shows more respect for Iceland and the Icelandic people.
On Wednesday, Long reportedly apologized for the comments in an interview with Arctic Today, a news site that covers the region. According to the outlet, he said the comments were made in jest, while others were making fun of Jeff Landry, Trump’s special envoy for Greenland. “There was nothing serious about it, I was with some people I hadn’t seen in three years and they were making fun of Jeff Landry as the governor of Greenland, and then they started making fun of me. If anyone was offended, then I apologize,” Long was quoted as saying.
Although Long said he understood why the comments had caused a backlash, he insisted it was just a joke and not to be taken seriously. “I apologize and that is my only comment. I look forward to working with the people of Iceland and I am sorry that it was interpreted in this way. I was with a group of friends and there was nothing serious,” he added.
On Thursday, Sigmar Guomundsson, an Icelandic MP from the centrist Liberal Reform party, which is part of the ruling coalition, described the comments as “not a particularly funny joke” given the tensions over Greenland.
“It goes without saying that this is extremely serious for a small country like Iceland,” he told the Icelandic newspaper Morgunblaðið. “We have to understand that all the security arguments that the Americans cite for Greenland also apply to Iceland. This has to do with the geographical position of these two islands.”
He described the comments as a sign of a growing lack of respect in the US for the sovereignty of small states. “Icelanders should also have the courage, despite our very friendly relations with the United States, not least through NATO, to discuss where and how our security interests are best served in this changing world.”