Donald Trump has sparked another diplomatic backlash. This time, he shared a map where he placed Iceland under the American flag. The image quickly caught the attention of Iceland’s government. Officials made their objections very clear. They called the move inappropriate and rejected any suggestion that Iceland’s sovereignty should be taken lightly.
Iceland summons the US ambassador after Donald Trump shares a controversial map depicting the country under the American flag
Trump shared a controversial map on Truth Social that depicted Iceland under the American flag. On Monday, Iceland’s Foreign Minister Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir summoned U.S. Ambassador Billy Long in response.
Iceland called the meeting to send a clear message about the post.
“There was a reason to call the ambassador to a meeting and present a very clear message on our part that this was completely unacceptable,” Gunnarsdóttir said Tuesday.
Iceland’s Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir also criticized the map, calling it an “insult” to the country. She said Tuesday, “We should just be clear when it comes to it.” She added, “There is nothing funny or normal about making fun of the sovereignty of states, especially today when it is not a given.”
Gunnarsdóttir said Iceland takes the situation seriously despite repeated advice not to interpret Trump literally.
“I have been repeatedly advised by within the American administration that we should perhaps not take the current U.S. president literally, but we should take him seriously,” she said.
“That is exactly what we are doing and emphasizing that Iceland is sovereign, it is an independent state that is responsible for its own destiny,” she said.
The backlash also spread beyond Iceland. Trump’s map also showed Canada, Mexico, Greenland and other nations and territories under the U.S. flag.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen called the post “disturbing.”
“It’s obviously a sign that the U.S. president still harbors some kind of maximalist vision in his own mind,” Rasmussen told the national broadcaster DR on Tuesday. “We need to rein that in.”