Is Iceland the ’52nd state’? America’s ambassador’s nominee’s comments raise alarm – National
Iceland’s government says it wants answers from the United States after US President Donald Trump’s nominee for ambassador to Iceland, Billy Long, reportedly joked that the European country had become the “52nd country.”
Politico reported Wednesday that Long, a former Republican congressman and staunch Trump ally, was heard joking with members of the US House in the chamber Tuesday night “that Iceland will be the 52nd state and he will be the governor.”
The comments sparked a backlash between Trump’s talk about the US annexation of Iceland’s neighbor, Greenland, and his previous comments about making Canada the “51st country.”
A spokesperson for Iceland’s foreign ministry told Global News that it is investigating the matter.
“The Department of Foreign Affairs has contacted the US Embassy in Iceland to verify the authenticity of the allegations,” Ægir Þór Eysteinsson said in an email.
He apologized at length for these comments in an interview with Arctic Today, explaining that they were made in response to a joke about Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, Trump’s special envoy to Greenland, becoming the governor of the area after it became part of the US.
A Republican bill introduced in Congress this week would not only authorize Trump to annex or acquire Greenland, but would also speed up the process of giving the territory away.
“There was nothing serious about that, I was with some people, who I hadn’t met in three years, and they were joking that Jeff Landry is the governor of Greenland and they started joking about me and if anyone was offended by it, I’m sorry,” said Long.
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“I’m sorry and that’s the end of my comment, I’m looking forward to working with the people of Iceland and I’m sorry it was taken that way, I was with a group of friends and there was nothing serious about it,” he added.
Long did not publicly acknowledge that or indicate that he had reached out to the Icelandic government or diplomats in Washington.
The comments came ahead of a high-level meeting between the foreign ministers of Greenland and Denmark with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US Vice President JD Vance in Washington on Wednesday.
The ministers who attended the meeting admitted after the meeting that they did not change their mind about Trump’s intentions to buy Greenland, but the officials agreed to continue working to resolve the security solution in this area.
Viðreisn Sigmar Guðmundsson, a member of Iceland’s ruling party, told local newspaper MBL that Long’s “region 52” comment should be taken seriously given the uncertainty surrounding Greenland’s sovereignty and Trump’s territorial intentions in the Arctic and Western Hemisphere.
“There is no doubt that this is very bad in a small country like Iceland. We need to understand that all the security arguments made by the US regarding Greenland, also apply to Iceland,” said Guðmundsson.
While Greenland is a sovereign territory under the Kingdom of Denmark, Iceland is an independent country and a member of the European Union, as well as a NATO ally of the US and Canada.
The Icelandic government has repeatedly expressed solidarity with Greenland and its sovereignty in the face of Trump’s threats.
A government petition presented by Icelanders this week asking Foreign Minister Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir to refuse to extend the US embassy has gained nearly 3,000 signatures in its first two days.
The petition says that Long’s comments, even if made in jest, “are an insult to the people of Iceland and the people of Iceland, who have had to fight for their freedom and who have always been friends of the United States.”
Long’s nomination as ambassador to Iceland was formally submitted to the US Senate on Tuesday. It was first announced in August after Trump fired him as IRS commissioner, less than two months after he was confirmed.
In his nomination certificate submitted to the Senate Foreign Relations committee in November, Long was praised for his “professional communication skills and his ability to cultivate strategic relationships with domestic and international leaders” that “qualifies him to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to Iceland.”
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