Overview
- Iceland’s foreign ministry asked the U.S. Embassy in Reykjavík to verify reports that nominee Billy Long joked Iceland would become the 52nd state with him as governor.
- Long acknowledged making the remark and apologized to Arctic Today, saying it was an unserious exchange tied to joking about Greenland envoy Jeff Landry.
- A petition urging Foreign Minister Katrín Gunnarsdóttir to reject Long’s appointment has grown to nearly 5,000 signatures as of Friday.
- Long’s nomination was formally submitted to the U.S. Senate this week, and it remains unclear whether the backlash will affect his confirmation.
- Icelandic politicians criticized the comment as disrespectful to a small nation’s sovereignty, reflecting sensitivities heightened by Trump’s stated plans to acquire Greenland.