Trump sparks diplomatic row with map showing Iceland as part of US; Iceland FM summons US ambassador

Trump Sparks Diplomatic Incident With Map Depicting Iceland as Part of the U.S.

President Donald Trump has drawn sharp criticism from Iceland after posting a map on Truth Social that depicted the country as part of the United States.

The image, posted on Labor Day without a caption, showed Iceland, Canada, Greenland, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean all draped in the U.S. flag.

The post—described by observers as paternalistic at best and colonial at worst—prompted Iceland's Foreign Minister Thorgerdur Gunnarsdottir to summon U.S. Ambassador Billy Long. Gunnarsdottir later told RUV, Iceland's national broadcasting service, that "it was made clear at the meeting that the post was completely inappropriate."

Other Icelandic leaders voiced similar concerns, drawing comparisons to Greenland, which Trump has threatened to annex since returning to office.

• Stefán Pálsson, alternate city councilor, told RUV: "It is not good to be an enemy of the United States, but it is even worse to be its friend. What is shocking about the way Greenland has been treated is not really that the United States behaves like this towards another country, but simply that we are not used to it being done to us."
• Sonja Þorbergsdóttir, Chair of the Federation of State and Municipal Employees, said: "I hope, given how this took over the debate in Greenland, that we do not end up in the same place and that we do not allow Trump to set the agenda for the debate here. But of course this is disrespectful and this is not how civilized nations should behave towards one another."

The incident is seen as the latest example of Trump's recklessness eroding the seriousness and legitimacy of U.S. soft power.

Inspector General Report Details Misconduct by Former Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer

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A report released Thursday by the Inspector General alleges that former Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer visited a strip club while on official duty and directed her driver to shower a dancer with dollar bills.

The report paints a broader picture of what it describes as a "toxic, intimidating, and humiliating" work environment during Chavez-DeRemer's tenure, which ended with her resignation in April.

Key Findings from the IG Report

• Strip club incident: During personal travel to Oregon from April 15–20, 2025, Chavez-DeRemer requested an "off-the-record stop" at an establishment that featured partially nude dancers. She brought her limousine driver inside, took money from her purse, gave it to the driver, and directed him to give it to the performer. When the agent resisted, his supervisor instructed him to comply. Chavez-DeRemer then took additional money and asked the agent to drop the bills "one by one onto the partially nude woman." The agent complied against his wishes.

• Inappropriate physical contact: While in Michigan, Chavez-DeRemer massaged a supervisor's shoulders "while seated behind him in a vehicle after he completed a driving shift" and asked if he was tired. The supervisor responded that he was "solid as a rock," which witnesses interpreted as a sexual innuendo.

• Workplace behavior: Chavez-DeRemer reportedly discussed employees' performance in front of them, including whether they had cried, and would drink during the workday. She and her aides pressured other employees to join them and mocked those who declined.

• Chief of Staff conduct: Her chief of staff, Rebecca Wright, screened Office of the Secretary employees, contributing to the dysfunctional environment.

Chavez-DeRemer was handpicked by President Trump at the urging of Teamsters President Sean O'Brien to lead the Labor Department as part of a so-called "pro-labor" administration.