Iceland Summons US Ambassador Over Trump's Stars and Stripes Map Post

Iceland summoned the U.S. ambassador after Donald Trump published a map showing the country covered by the American flag, escalating Reykjavik’s objections to the U.S. president’s rhetoric over national borders and sovereignty.

The Truth Social post showed the Stars and Stripes stretching across countries from Panama to Canada, as well as Iceland, Greenland, Mexico and others.

Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir called the image “ridiculous” and said it crossed a line beyond political provocation.

“It is an insult to Icelanders, Canadians and Greenlanders . . . There is nothing funny or normal about poking fun at the sovereignty of states,” she said.

Ambassador Summoned

Foreign Minister Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir summoned U.S. ambassador Billy Long on Tuesday to formally protest the post.

Icelandic officials made clear that they were not dismissing the image as social media theater.

“I have been repeatedly advised by the US administration that we should perhaps not take the current US president literally, but we should take him seriously,” Gunnarsdóttir said.

“That is exactly what we are doing, and emphasizing that Iceland is sovereign, that it is an independent state, that is responsible for its own destiny,” she added.

She said that if the image was intended as humor, it amounted to “a bad joke”.

Sovereignty Tensions

Trump’s approach toward Greenland, Canada, Panama and Iceland has unsettled several governments since the start of his second term.

His administration has promoted a security strategy centered on “hemispheric defense” and has repeatedly argued that the U.S. requires greater control within what officials describe as its hemisphere to counter outside threats.

Trump has also said the U.S. should “have” or acquire Greenland, while officials have raised the prospect of missile-defense deployments there.

Greenland, a semi-autonomous Danish territory, and Iceland do not maintain their own military forces. Both are members of NATO.

Iceland has also faced previous diplomatic friction involving Long.

The ambassador was overheard in January joking about the country, which has a population of about 400,000, becoming the “52nd state”, prompting protests.

Wider Backlash

The map also drew criticism elsewhere.

Danish foreign minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen described it as “disturbing and in many ways also completely inappropriate.”

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum rejected any suggestion that her country’s sovereignty could be compromised.

“Mexico is not and will not be a colony or protectorate of any foreign country,” she wrote on X.

“We are proud to be free, independent and sovereign,” she added.

Trump has separately intensified pressure on Canada during a trade dispute, including posting a cartoon depicting himself tackling Prime Minister Mark Carney and calling him “Governor.”

He has repeatedly spoken of Canada becoming the “51st state” of the U.S.

Iceland’s U.S. Debate

Concern over Trump’s rhetoric had already fed into Iceland’s domestic debate over its relationship with Europe.

The government brought forward a referendum on restarting negotiations to join the EU to the summer, partly in response to Trump’s statements.

Icelanders voted against reopening accession talks.

Trump has also appeared on several occasions to confuse Iceland with Greenland.

Gunnarsdóttir said the government would not treat the latest post as a “trivial issue.”

The dispute emerged as Greenland Energy, a U.S. company with ties to Trump, announced an all-share £60 million offer for 80 Mile, which holds the only valid oil exploration license in Greenland.

The two companies are already joint-venture partners and presented the proposed transaction as a consolidation of their exploration licenses within a Nasdaq-traded company.