Former Representative Billy Long, who was nominated by the President to be the ambassador to Iceland, has apologized after privately joking to House lawmakers that the Arctic island would become the “52nd state” with him as its governor.
Long, a Republican who represented Missouri from 2011 to 2023 and served a short period as the IRS commissioner last year, said he was just joking with his former congressional colleagues.
“There was nothing serious about that. I was with some people I hadn’t seen in three years, and they were joking about Jeff Landry being [something missing in original text], and then they started joking about me. If anyone was offended by it, then I apologize,” Long told Arctic Today.
“I apologize, and that’s my only comment. I’m looking forward to working with the people of Iceland, and I’m sorry it was taken that way. I was with a group of friends, and there was nothing serious about it,” he added.
Trump recently appointed Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as a special envoy to Greenland.
This comes as Trump ramps up his talk about [something missing in original text], a Danish territory, saying he plans to take the island “one way or the other.”
“We’re going to do something about Greenland, whether they like it or not,” Trump said last week. “Because if we don’t, Russia or China will take over Greenland, and we’re not going to have Russia or China as neighbors.”
Trump administration officials are openly considering options such as using military force to take Greenland, a move that would violate [something missing in original text], which states that an attack on one member is an attack on all of them and could end the alliance that has lasted for over 75 years.
Denmark and other European countries have taken actions, including sending additional troops to Greenland in case of a U.S. invasion, supporting the territory as it reaffirms its stance that it doesn’t want to join the U.S. Iceland is among the NATO members that have expressed opposition to Trump’s repeated threats to take Greenland.
On Capitol Hill, most Democrats and even some Republicans have opposed the idea of taking Greenland, while other Republicans have voiced support for pursuing closer ties with the territory. This includes Representative Randy Fine, R – Fla., who introduced legislation to make it the 51st U.S. state, although he said the best way to acquire Greenland is voluntarily.
Trump has also said he wanted to make Canada the 51st U.S. state.
Long was visiting his former colleagues on the House Floor earlier this week when he made the controversial comment about Iceland, which led to some minor diplomatic backlashes. Iceland’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs demanded answers from the U.S. Embassy in Reykjavík.
“There’s no doubt that this is very serious for a small country like Iceland,” Icelandic Parliament member Sigmar Guðmundsson told MBL. “We need to understand that all the security arguments the U.S. has made regarding Greenland also apply to Iceland.”
Some Icelanders also launched a petition drive asking their government to reject Long as ambassador if he is confirmed by the U.S. Senate. The petition has received 2,000 signatures.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R – S.D., told Politico that Long was “probably just having some fun” and “I wouldn’t read too much into it.”