Former Rep. Billy Long (R-MO), who was nominated to serve as the U.S. ambassador to Iceland, apologized for joking that the island nation would become the 52nd state of the United States. “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, a news outlet based in Alaska. “The Ministry for Foreign Affairs has contacted the U.S. Embassy in Iceland to verify the veracity of the alleged comments,” Iceland’s foreign ministry told POLITICO. Iceland is concerned about America’s growing territorial ambitions, after POLITICO reported that Donald Trump’s nominee for ambassador to this country Billy Long joked that North Atlantic island will be the 52nd U.S. state.https://t.co/YasZ6VMNGY — POLITICOEurope (@POLITICOEurope) January 15, 2026 Arctic Today shared: Furthermore, an official petition has been started demanding that Icelandic Foreign Minister Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir refuse to accept Long as ambassador. As of publication the petition has over 2,000 signatures. Speaking to local newspaper MBL, member of the ruling party Viðreisn Sigmar Guðmundsson said the comments should be taken seriously and that they represented a fundamental disrespect for the sovereignty of small nations, connecting them to the ongoing discussion about the future of Greenland. “There is no doubt that this is very serious for a small country like Iceland. We need to understand that all the security arguments made by the U.S. regarding Greenland, also apply to Iceland,” Guðmundsson said. Long told Arctic Today that he was not aware of the reaction in Iceland, or of the request for comment by the ministry. Long said he could understand the reaction, especially in light of the tense diplomatic situation between Greenland, Denmark and the U.S., following repeated statements by President Trump about the U.S. taking over Greenland. However, he was adamant they were a joke and should not be taken seriously. “Long has not been confirmed for the ambassadorship by the U.S. Senate,” the outlet stated. “These words of Billy Long, who Donald Trump has nominated as ambassador to Iceland, may have been said in half-hearted terms, but they are insulting to Iceland and Icelanders, who have had to fight for their freedom and have always been a friend of the United States,” the petition says, according to POLITICO. “We want Þorgerður Katrín [Gunnarsdóttir] to reject Billy Long as ambassador to Iceland and call for the United States to nominate another man, who will show Iceland and Icelanders more respect,” it continues. POLITICO noted: European leaders are backing Greenlanders — who have repeatedly said they don’t want to be Americans — and are seeking a deal to head off a potential clash that Denmark has send would end the transatlantic NATO alliance.