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Many Canadians don’t find it funny when U.S. President Donald Trump makes repeated threats. Make Canada the 51st state.
And one more time about Trump’s comment about taking over Greenland It is considered a jokeThey are very dangerous now.
And Trump’s choice of US ambassador to Iceland this week when he joked that the Nordic country It should be the 52nd state. – and to be her ruler – he It didn’t go very well.
“These words… may have been spoken half-heartedly, but they are offensive to Iceland and Icelanders, who have had to fight for their independence and who have always been friends of the United States,” he said. Circulating a petition The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iceland has called for rejection The nomination of William Long Ambassador to the country.
“Obviously, this is not a particularly funny joke in light of the current discussion about Greenland on the West Coast, and these are really serious comments.” Sigmar Guðundsson, Icelandic Member of Parliament; He told Icelandic newspaper Morgunblaðið on Thursday.
He also called the foreign minister. Kathryn Gunnarsdottir to reject Long As ambassador to the United States, he said, “Someone else should be appointed who shows more respect for Iceland and Icelanders.”
As the Icelandic Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Morgenblad He met on Thursday US Embassy in Iceland “To confirm the validity of the alleged comments”.
CBC News reached out to the U.S. State Department, the U.S. Embassy in Iceland and the Icelandic Ministry of Foreign Affairs for comment and have not yet heard back.
Denmark has sent a strong message to US President Donald Trump by deploying its troops to Greenland along with several European countries to strengthen its Arctic security. The move comes a day after Denmark and Greenland said they had ‘fundamental differences’ over US plans to take control of the semi-autonomous Danish island.
‘There’s nothing serious about it.’
Trump Long was officially selectedMissouri, a former member of the US House of Representatives, was appointed ambassador to Iceland on Tuesday.
Wednesday, news website Politico wrote in the morning newspaper That, “Billie Long, the former representative whom Trump appointed as ambassador to Iceland, will be the 52nd province of Iceland and will be the governor, we heard the members laughing on the platform.
The reaction in Iceland’s capital, Reykjavík, was swift. As of Friday, nearly 5,000 people have signed the call Gunnarsdóttir to reject Long’s nominations. Iceland has about 400,000 people.
By Thursday, Long apologized. Speaking for the Arctic today He made the comments in response to a joke about Jeff Landry – Greenland’s special envoy – being the ruler of Greenland.
“So it was nothing serious, I was with people I hadn’t met in three years, and they were joking that Jeff Landry was the governor of Greenland and they started making fun of me and I apologize if anybody was offended by that,” Long said.
He said he could understand the reaction given the tensions between Greenland and the US, but reiterated that his comments were nothing more than a joke.
“I apologize that it was taken that way, I was with a group of friends and it was nothing serious,” Long told the news station.
Comments are ‘extremely worrying’, says MP
Icelandic MP Gudumundsson said. Morning paper That Long’s jokes indicate a growing respect for the sovereignty of smaller states in the US.
“It goes without saying that this is extremely worrying for a small country like Iceland. We have to realize that all the security arguments that the Americans raise about Greenland also apply to Iceland,” he told the news station.
Trump has repeatedly threatened to seize Greenland, an island nation northwest of Iceland. This week he Greenland is called something less than US control.Unacceptable.”
TRump said Greenland, which is part of Denmark, It is important to the security of America because of it Strategic location And a large supply Minerals And he did not eliminate the use of force to take it. European countries sent smaller numbers this week. Military personnel to the island at the request of Denmark.
Trump said on Friday that he might impose tariffs on countries that don’t support his plan because we want to. Greenland for national security”.
as if Press conference last Sunday About the future of Greenland, Long’s comments days ago, Iceland’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Kathryn Gunnarsdottir told reporters that Iceland’s relations and cooperation with the US are “very good”.
“Are we nervous about being next on the schedule? No, I don’t think so, at least,” she said.
January 14, 2026 | As a Danish delegation met with officials in Washington, US President Donald Trump stood firm on his plan to distribute Greenland. Quebec Premier Francois Legault steps down. And customer complaints about their phone, internet and television services have increased.