Billy Long said he meant it as a punchline, but not everyone in Iceland is amused. A petition in Iceland has drawn thousands of signatures after reports that Long, President Trump's nominee for US ambassador to the country, joked that Iceland would become the 52nd US state and that he'd be its governor. Politico relayed the remark in a newsletter, saying it was made on the House floor the night before high-level US, Danish, and Greenlandic officials met about Trump's stated interest in taking over Greenland, the Guardian reports. Long is a former House member.
Iceland's foreign ministry quickly asked the US Embassy in Reykjavík to confirm what was said. Petition organizers urged Foreign Minister Thorgerdur Katrín Gunnarsdóttir to reject Long as ambassador, calling the comment offensive to the people of a nation that "has had to fight for their freedom while remaining a close US ally. Within hours, more than 3,200 people had signed, urging Washington to pick someone who shows "greater respect" for Icelandic sovereignty. Long told Arctic Today he was joking in a private conversation sparked by banter about Jeff Landry, Trump's special envoy to Greenland, becoming "governor" there.
"There was nothing serious about that," Long said, adding that if anyone was offended, "then I apologize." He repeated that he looks forward to working with Icelanders. Lawmaker Sigmar Guðmundsson called it "not a particularly funny joke" made at an awkward time. "We need to understand that all the security arguments made by the US regarding Greenland, also apply to Iceland," he said, per the Hill. Long was "probably having some fun," Senate Majority Leader John Thune said, per Politico.
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