Prospective ambassador: Iceland to become a US

TT

Published 2026-01-15 18.00 

 

Billy Long – the next US ambassador to Iceland? Archive photo. Photo: Greg Nash/AP/TT

Iceland reacts after the US ambassador-designate joked that the country will become American.

After President Donald Trump's demand for Greenland, Iceland could be the next target. Or?

The man Trump wants to see as ambassador to Iceland, Billy Long, has at least joked in Congress that the country "will become the 52nd US state" and he himself the governor – which has prompted Iceland's Foreign Ministry to demand an explanation, reports Politico.

Public service broadcaster Rúv reports that Long has apologized, but the comment has already prompted nearly 3,000 Icelanders to sign an online petition calling on Foreign Minister Katrín Gunnarsdóttir to refuse to approve Long.

Long's comment about a "52nd state" also suggests that Greenland would then become the 51st state of the United States.