In addition to Canada, Iceland is in the running to become a U.S. state after a diplomat appointed by U.S. president Donald Trump said Iceland will be America’s 52nd.
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Images and video memes popped up on social media in response to U.S. president Donald Trump’s repeated claims that America needs Greenland for security and that he won’t rule out military force to annex the Arctic island, which is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. The memes may be amusing, but Greenland, NATO and the E.U. aren’t laughing. Icelanders asked their government last week to reject Trump’s appointee to the U.S. ambassador to Iceland post after the former congressman said Iceland will be America’s 52nd state
William Long, a former Republican congressman from Missouri and Donald Trump’s pick for ambassador of Iceland, said he was only joking last week and did apologize during a media interview for saying Iceland will be America’s 52nd state and he’ll be the country’s governor.
Reaction in Iceland was swift: people launched a petition urging Iceland’s foreign minister to reject Long as ambassador.
People of Icelandic descent in the Interlake did not find the quip funny given the context of U.S. political and military aggression and territorial ambitions.
Gimli residents Sherry Benson-Podolchuk and David Podolchuk said they feel it’s their duty to speak out publicly against this form of “bullying” and about issues affecting their community, country and threats to the territorial integrity of other nations.
Long calling Iceland the 52nd state and his becoming governor of the NATO-member country shows the American administration’s ‘arrogance,’ and at a time when Trump’s ramped up his threats to annex Greenland, striking fear into Greenlanders who say they don’t want to be American, as well as NATO and the European Union.
While Iceland is a sovereign NATO member, Greenland is a self-governing territory within Denmark and does not have independent statehood.
“The 52nd state comment is a reflection of Trump’s regime. He appoints people who have no experience in diplomacy,” said Podolchuk. “They say things we’ve never heard diplomats ever say before in the past.”
The comment also represents an American administration using “intimidation hoping people back down,” which is the hallmark of a bully.
Benson-Podolchuk says the crass behaviour is like a disease that’s being left untreated and starting to spread.
“This is like a cancer. It starts with one cancerous cell and if no one does anything to kill it, it spreads. And the U.S. administration is surrounded by these cancerous cells that really don’t care about anyone except themselves,” she said. “A bully is a bully. They only understand one thing: pushback.”
As an Icelander on her dad’s side, Benson-Podolchuk said she’d be happy to fight “on the beaches” of Iceland and Greenland should Americans actually invade. And she’s proud of the way Icelanders called on their government to reject the appointment of Long as ambassador.
“When Trump first called Canada his 51st state, our visceral reaction was, ‘No way.’ So every time someone says, ‘I like what you got, and I’m coming in to take you over,’ you have stand up for your country,” she said. “Iceland’s government has every right to kick out someone who’s disrespecting their country.”
Cutting through Trump’s rhetoric without minimizing his threats to annex sovereign nations and territories, Podolchuk said there’s no evidence Greenland is being threatened by Russia or China as Trump claims.
“There hasn’t been a Chinese warship near the shores of Greenland in over a decade. And anyone living in the Arctic knows where the Russians tend to go. There’s no security threat to Greenland right now from any other country [apart from America],” said Podolchuk. “Have you heard the term Occam’s Razor? It means the simplest explanation is the most likely one. The simplest one in this case is that Trump wants to be the first president in 110 years to add land mass to the U.S. Plus, the American government has an enormous debt and trouble with bond-rating agencies, and Trump probably figures that stealing someone else’s critical minerals [i.e., Greenland’s] will help pay down the debt.”
During the Cold War, Russia was perceived as a threat to Greenland and NATO troops were stationed on the island, he said.
“With the American midterm election coming up and the state of its economy, Greenland is a distraction that Trump created,” said Podolchuk. “Seventy-five per cent of people polled in the U.S. recently said they don’t want any part of Greenland.”
The couple said there are “ramifications” resulting from Trump and his administration’s behaviour as Canadians and other allies begin to push back.
Casualties have come in the form of a loss of trust in America, the U.S.’s tourism industry taking a hit, Trump making China “great again” as Canada and China shake hands on an electric-vehicle deal, the E.U. and India negotiating, Kentucky’s bourbon industry slumping, a $4,000-$5,000 increase in the cost of vehicles in America, Americans’ energy bills soaring, high interest rates, Congress members bailing as they may not get re-elected this year, tariffs being “an enormous failure,” Republicans openly criticizing Trump, and the American people being injured or killed by Trump’s “gang of brownshirts-jackboots guys” running amok through the streets.
“To me, the only thing Trump’s missing is a toga and a lyre,” said Podolchuk with reference to Roman emperor Nero, who was accused of starting a fire that burned an area of Rome he wanted for a new palace. “The American economy has flatlined. Inflation is creeping up.”
The couple’s best advice to deal with the uncertainty and fear Trump creates through his “clickbait” behaviour is to focus on the follow-through rather than the bluster, and be mindful that a 24-hour news cycle and multiple media sources can amplify a story.
People also shouldn’t worry about NATO collapsing, as some European leaders have suggested, should America annex Greenland — a Danish territory covered under NATO through Denmark’s membership.
“Those end-of-NATO comments mean the United States would no longer be a trusted ally in NATO,” said Podolchuk.
NATO-member countries started shoring up their own military defences last year when they realized Trump was “unreliable,” Benson-Podolchuk added. “But NATO allies will defend their member countries. If NATO has to let America go [from the alliance], then they’re going to do that.”
Gimli resident Bill Buckels, who is part of a large Icelandic family, said Trump’s vision of a “unified America right through Greenland” is claptrap. And Long’s 52nd state comment about Iceland is thuggish behaviour.
“We’re all terribly concerned here. My heart goes out to Iceland. They’re living in the shadow of Trump and Putin. Greenland and Iceland are small northern countries with cohesive communities,” said Buckels. “To have a bully from one of the world’s warmongering countries threaten you is upsetting.”
Americans’ willingness to “get out and vote against Trump” during the midterms, and Canadians’ opposing right-wing MAGA elements in Canada that are trying to polarize us and create tension can help restore order, he said.
“What we’re seeing in America is fascism unleashed. It’s unbelievable. The right-wing element is like a virus infecting the brains of the free world,” said Buckels. “And the most imminent threat is the alien within; I’m not sure Canadians understand the threat that’s here with us in our communities. People are being apathetic about right-wingers who follow Trump. You can’t be apathetic about them. And we can’t welcome the Americans in with open arms because they’ll consume us.”
Interlake-Gimli MLA Derek Johnson is of Icelandic descent and represents a large Icelandic community across the Interlake. He shared a statement with the Express saying Iceland is an independent country with a history of democratic traditions, and Long’s joke about it becoming the 52nd state runs counter to the principle of national sovereignty that Canada and the international community respects.
“This … resonates deeply in Interlake-Gimli. Our region is known as New Iceland, and we are home to the largest Icelandic population outside of Iceland itself,” said Johnson. “People here take Iceland’s independence and history very personally. Iceland fought hard for its sovereignty and that … matters not just in Reykjavik but to Icelandic-Canadians in Gimli and across the Interlake.”
Johnson added that he’s taking Long at his word that it was a joke and appreciates his apology. But given the current sensitivities around Greenland and Arctic security — and rhetoric about annexation — the remark was made in “poor taste.”
The Express asked Gimli Mayor Kevin Chudd for comment on Long’s 52nd state joke. Chudd had gone to Iceland last year to sign a sister agreement with the town of Akureyri.
RM spokesperson Christine Payne said the municipality “does not comment on international diplomatic matters or the internal appointment processes of foreign governments.”
The Express also reached out Vilhjalmur Wiium, the Consul General of Iceland in Winnipeg for comment.
