Donald Trump posted a map on Truth Social on Monday showing the American flag covering Canada, Greenland, Iceland and Mexico, and Iceland summoned the US ambassador in response. Trump also shared a map showing the state of New Mexico renamed "New America."
What did the flag map show? Stars and stripes covered the US, Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, with the entire landmass labelled "United States of America" and no caption, the BBC reported. The post follows Trump's previous pushes to take over territory outside US borders, including his push to acquire Greenland and calls to make Canada the 51st state. His interest in Greenland has been a recurring theme in his social media posts and speeches since he took office again last year, with Trump saying the island is necessary to shore up US national security.
How did Iceland respond? Iceland's Foreign Minister Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir called in Billy Long, the US ambassador to Iceland, who formally took up the post last month, the BBC reported, citing local media. She said the post was "completely inappropriate." A summons typically means a formal meeting at which the host country expresses displeasure over the other government's actions.
Who else objected? Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen also criticised the post, saying on Monday that the position of Greenland's government and people had been made clear, the BBC reported. "The Greenlandic government and the Greenlandic people have said again and again that they do not want to be American," she told the Danish news agency Ritzau in Nuuk. The post came shortly after the European Commission announced a €200m investment in Greenland during a visit by Frederiksen and Commission president Ursula von der Leyen. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Mexico is not and will not be "a colony or protectorate of any foreign country."
How did US politicians respond? New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, said: "New Mexico's name isn't up for debate — it's been ours since before the United States existed," The Hill reported. Former Republican Rep. Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania, asked by MS NOW's Peter Alexander on "State of Play" about the president's latest posts, called the New Mexico posts "bizarre" and accused Trump of "hurting his own team" ahead of the midterms. The posts come as Trump leans into online trolling and fights over geographical names while his approval rating sinks weeks before November's midterm elections, The Hill reported.
Figures referenced: Donald Trump. — JudgeMarket.
