Iceland summons US ambassador over Trump map showing country under American flag

Sep 8, 2026

Iceland has summoned U.S. Ambassador Billy Long after President Donald Trump posted an uncaptioned map on Truth Social showing Iceland, Canada, Greenland, Mexico, and the Caribbean covered by the American flag under the label "United States of America." Icelandic Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir and Foreign Minister Thorgerdur Katrín Gunnarsdóttir condemned the post as an insult to state sovereignty. Leaders in Denmark, Greenland, and Mexico also issued sharp rebukes, while Trump faced separate domestic backlash for proposing to rename New Mexico as "New America."

Trump Truth Social map post

▪President Donald Trump posted the expansionist map on Truth Social without any accompanying written explanation or commentary
▪President Donald Trump posted an uncaptioned map on Truth Social on September 7, 2026, showing the United States, Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean covered by the American flag and labeled "United States of America."

Iceland summons US ambassador

▪Icelandic Foreign Minister Thorgerdur Katrín Gunnarsdóttir summoned U.S. Ambassador Billy Long on September 7, 2026, to convey that President Donald Trump's social media map was completely inappropriate
▪Thousands of Icelanders signed a petition urging the Prime Minister to reject Billy Long as U.S. ambassador after he previously joked about Iceland becoming the 52nd U.S. state with himself as governor
▪Icelandic Foreign Minister Thorgerdur Katrín Gunnarsdóttir stated that people within the U.S. administration advised her not to take President Donald Trump literally, but that Iceland is taking him seriously as a sovereign, independent state

International diplomatic condemnation

▪Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum responded to President Donald Trump's map by reaffirming that Mexico's sovereignty is non-negotiable and that Mexico will not be a colony or protectorate of any foreign country
▪Icelandic Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir publicly condemned President Donald Trump's map on September 8, 2026, calling it an insult to Icelanders, Canadians, and Greenlanders, and stating there is nothing funny about making fun of state sovereignty
▪Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen called President Donald Trump's map post disturbing and a sign that the U.S. president harbors a maximalist vision that needs to be reined in
▪Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, speaking in Nuuk, Greenland, on September 7, 2026, reiterated that the Greenlandic government and people have repeatedly stated they do not want to be American

Trump territorial expansion rhetoric

▪President Donald Trump ordered Lake Ontario renamed to Lake America for official U.S. use, drawing sharp criticism from Canadian leaders
▪Icelandic voters participated in a referendum on August 29, 2026, where they narrowly voted to reject restarting negotiations to become a member of the European Union
▪President Donald Trump has advocated making Canada a U.S. state, stating in February 2025 that the idea to annex Canada was a real thing and that he would use economic force to pressure the country
▪President Donald Trump has repeatedly expressed ambitions to bring Greenland under U.S. control, previously stating that anything short of U.S. control of the Danish autonomous territory was unacceptable

New Mexico renaming proposal

▪New Mexico's Republican and Democratic politicians alike rejected President Donald Trump's proposal to rename the state "New America."
▪New Mexico State Historian Rob Martinez and local residents criticized President Donald Trump's renaming proposal as an attempt to erase over 450 years of history and culture dating back to Spanish explorers in the 1560s
▪President Donald Trump posted several maps on Truth Social on September 6, 2026, proposing that the U.S. state of New Mexico be renamed to "New America."

Debatable claims

▪Foreign governments should treat Donald Trump's social media posts as official policy
▪Iceland should join the European Union to protect its sovereignty