Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
A petition to refuse him as ambassador has so far gotten more then 4000 signatures.
Former U.S. Rep. Billy Long is U.S. President Donald Trumps pick to become the U.S. Ambassador of Iceland.
But so far, approximatly 4300 Icelanders have signed a petition to make the Icelandic Foreign Minister refuse Long as ambassador (Iceland has a population of approx. 400,000).
Why, you may ask? Because of what Long calls a “joke”, but has stirred a lot of anxiety in Iceland.
Governor of the 52nd State
On January 14 2026, several news outlets reported on Billy Long joking with U.S. lawwmakers, saying that Iceland will become the 52nd U.S. state, and that Long will be governor.
Under normal surcomstances, the joke would probably only be concidered to be in poor taste from an ambassador-to-be, but given the current geopolitical situation, Icelanders are horrified by the comment.
Denmark, Greenland and the U.S. is in a diplomatic crisis over Donald Trump’s wish to “have” Greenland, the POTUS has previously said that Canada could become the 51st state to avoid tariffs, Trump has threatened both Cuba and Columbia, and during the first weekend of 2026, U.S. conducted a military operation in Venezuela, taking the dictator, Nicolas Maduro, captive.
Long backtracks
The remarks were reportedly made Tuesday night on the House floor and were framed as a response to jokes about Jeff Landry, Trump’s U.S. Special Envoy to Greenland, becoming governor of Greenland.
“There was nothing serious about that, I was with some people, who I hadn’t met for three years, and they were kidding about Jeff Landry being governor of Greenland and they started joking about me and if anyone took offense to it, then I apologize,” Long told Arctic Today.
Official reaction in Iceland
The comments prompted criticism in Iceland, where the Foreign Ministry confirmed early Thursday that it had contacted the U.S. Embassy in Reykjavík seeking clarification, according to local media.
Speaking to newspaper MBL, Sigmar Guðmundsson of the ruling Viðreisn party said the remarks reflected a deeper issue.
“It goes without saying that this is extremely serious for a small country like Iceland. We must realize that all the security arguments that the Americans make against Greenland also apply to Iceland. It is about the location of these two islands.” he said.
Apology and context
Long told Arctic Today he was unaware of the Icelandic reaction or the ministry’s inquiry, but said he understood the sensitivity given tensions involving Greenland, Denmark and the United States.
“I apologize and that’s my only comment, I look forward to working with the people of Iceland and I apologize it was taken that way, I was with a group of friends and there was nothing serious about it,” he said.
Long has not yet been confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
Sources: Politico, Arctic Today, MBL
