Donald Trump with former congressman Billy Long, at a ceremony organized at the White House for the winners of the Stanley Cup in hockey, PHOTO: Pool / Abaca Press / Profimedia Images
Thousands of people have signed a petition expressing their outrage after Donald Trump's nominee for ambassador to Iceland joked that the Nordic country should become the 52nd US state, The Guardian reports.
On Wednesday, hours before senior officials from Greenland and Denmark met with US representatives in hopes of countering Trump's threats to seize the self-governing Danish territory, Politico reported that it had learned of speculation about another northern island.
“I heard former Congressman Billy Long, Trump's nominee for ambassador to Iceland, joked last night on the floor with other members that Iceland would be the 52nd state and he would be governor,” Politico wrote in its morning newsletter.
The reaction in Reykjavik was swift. In a statement provided to The Guardian, Iceland's foreign ministry said it had contacted the US embassy for clarification. “The Department of Foreign Affairs contacted the US Embassy in Iceland to verify the veracity of the alleged comments,” the statement said.
Icelanders reacted quickly to the information from the US
In a petition calling on Iceland's foreign minister, Katrin Gunnarsdottir, to reject Long as ambassador to the country, critics said: “These words, spoken by Billy Long, whom Donald Trump nominated to be ambassador to Iceland, may have been said in jest. However, they are offensive to Iceland and the Icelandic people, who had to fight for their freedom and have always been a friend of the United States,” it said. the text of the petition.
Within hours of its launch, more than 3,200 people had signed the petition, supporting the call for the US to “nominate another person who shows greater respect for Iceland and the Icelandic people.”
Long apologized for the remarks on Wednesday in an interview with Arctic Today, a news website covering the region. The publication quoted him as saying he made the comments in jest, while others joked about Jeff Landry, Trump's special envoy to Greenland.
“There was nothing serious about it, I was with some people I hadn't seen in three years and they were joking about Jeff Landry being the governor of Greenland, and then they started joking about me, and if anyone was offended, then I apologize,” the publication quoted Long as saying.
While Long said he could understand why the comments sparked a backlash, he insisted it was a joke and should not be taken seriously.
“I apologize and this is my only comment, I look forward to working with the people of Iceland and I apologize that it was interpreted in this way. I was with a group of friends and it was nothing serious,” he added.
