President Trump’s nominee to be the U.S. ambassador to Iceland, former Rep. Billy Long, has issued a public apology after suggesting the key NATO ally should become the 52nd US state. This is a massive diplomatic headache right out of the gate, and frankly, you just can’t make jokes like that when you’re about to take a serious post.
Long, a former Republican representative from Missouri, told Arctic Today, a news outlet based in Alaska, that he was joking with a group of friends. He clarified that the group was initially kidding about another official being the governor of Greenland when the joke about him governing Iceland started. Long emphasized that there was “nothing serious about that.” He stated, “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.”
Despite Long’s insistence that it was just a casual joke, the comments immediately sparked chaos overseas. Iceland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs was so concerned about the remarks that they contacted the U.S. Embassy in Reykjavik just to verify the veracity of the alleged comments.
The public reaction has been equally sharp
Icelandic citizens have launched a petition demanding that Icelandic Foreign Minister Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir refuse to accept Long if the U.S. Senate confirms his ambassadorship. That petition has already racked up 2,000 signatures, showing just how sensitive this topic is. Icelandic Parliament member Sigmar Guðmundsson stressed that this is “very serious for a small country like Iceland.” He added that the security arguments the U.S. makes regarding Greenland also directly apply to Iceland.
This whole mess stems directly from President Trump’s continuing, aggressive push to acquire Greenland from Denmark. The president has been ramping up rhetoric, arguing that the U.S. needs the massive island for national security purposes due to increased activity from Russia and China in the Arctic region. Last week, President Trump told reporters, “We are going to do something on Greenland, whether they like it or not.”
Unsurprisingly, Danish and Greenlandic officials have firmly rejected the president’s wishes. Following a meeting with Vice President Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen noted there was a “fundamental disagreement” between the two countries. Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen was absolutely crystal clear, stating they choose the Kingdom of Denmark, NATO, and the European Union over the United States “here and now.”
Even U.S. lawmakers are worried about the damage this rhetoric is doing. Senator Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky, warned that following through on threats to seize Greenland would “incinerate” the U.S. relationship with other NATO countries. He went on to say that this move would be “more disastrous for the President’s legacy than withdrawing from Afghanistan was for his predecessor.”
Published: Jan 16, 2026 11:30 am