Reykjavik demanded explanations from Washington on January 15, 2026, after U.S. President Donald Trump's nominee for ambassador to Iceland, Billy Long, joked that Iceland would become the 52nd U.S. state and he would be its governor, prompting a petition urging Foreign Minister Katrín Gunnarsdóttir to reject the nomination, according to an X post by @ObsDelphi shared over the past 90 minutes from 8:47 PM UTC. The post described the remark as offensive to Icelanders wary of U.S. actions in Greenland under the guise of national security, stating that Europe stands by its allies. It noted the joke occurred before Long's formal appointment. Separate X posts during the reporting window from 8:47 PM to 10:16 PM UTC reflected ongoing Arctic tensions. U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie joked on X that telling the administration the Epstein files are in Greenland would divert U.S. interest, per @RepThomasMassie. A German-language post by @DerAktenfresser commented on Bundeswehr press officers linking their Greenland activities to China or Russia threats. User @OJoelsen affirmed on X that Greenland has chosen NATO, Denmark, and the EU, and is not for sale. These reactions follow Sweden's announcement earlier on January 15 of deploying 100,000 personnel to Greenland to deter potential U.S. troops, alongside smaller deployments from France, Germany, and other European nations, as reported in prior coverage ending at 8:47 PM UTC.
