<
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/15/anger-iceland-incoming-us-ambassador-52nd-state-joke>
"Thousands of people have signed a petition expressing anger after Donald
Trump’s nominee for ambassador to Iceland reportedly joked that the Nordic
country should become the 52nd US state.
On Wednesday, hours before top officials from Greenland and Denmark were to
meet with the US in the hope of warding off Trump’s threats to seize the Arctic
island, the news outlet
Politico said it had heard of musings regarding
another Nordic island.
“We heard that former Rep Billy Long, Trump’s nominee for ambassador to
Iceland, joked to members on the floor last night that Iceland will be the 52nd
state and he’ll be governor,”
Politico wrote in its morning newsletter.
The reaction in Reykjavík was swift. In a statement to the
Guardian,
Iceland’s foreign ministry said it had contacted the US embassy for
clarification. “The ministry for foreign affairs contacted the US embassy in
Iceland to verify the veracity of the alleged comments,” it said.
In a petition calling on Iceland’s foreign minister, Þorgerður Katrín
Gunnarsdóttir, to reject Long as ambassador to the country, critics said:
“These words, spoken by Billy Long, whom Donald Trump has nominated as
ambassador to Iceland, may have been said in jest. Still, they are offensive to
Iceland and the Icelandic people, who have had to fight for their freedom and
have always been a friend to the United States,” the petition read.
Within hours of its launch, more than 3,200 people had signed the petition,
backing the call for the US to “nominate another person who shows greater
respect for Iceland and the Icelandic people”."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
