Former Congressman Billy Long, recently nominated by President Donald Trump to be the next U.S. ambassador to Iceland, faced a challenging session before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee this Thursday. The meeting was dominated by his need to address a joke he had previously made about Iceland becoming the "52nd state" of America, with him as its governor.

Long's comments, originally made in a light-hearted exchange with former House colleagues, were first brought to public attention by a POLITICO report. The joke, which referred to hypothetical political scenarios involving not just Iceland, but also Greenland and Canada, did not sit well amid the current sensitive diplomatic relations. Greenland, a Danish territory, has been a focal point of Trump’s controversial territorial interests.

During his testimony, Long expressed regret for his remark, describing it as "totally inappropriate" and an attempt at humor that misfired. "I just hope that the people in Iceland will give me a second chance to make a first impression," he said in a bid to smooth over the ruffled diplomatic feathers.

The reaction in Iceland was swift and clear, with a petition quickly gaining traction among Icelanders. The petition urged their Foreign Minister, Katrín Gunnarsdóttir, to reject Long's ambassadorial nomination in favor of a candidate who "will show Iceland and Icelanders more respect." Thousands have already signed in support.

Long later reiterated his apologies in an interview with the Alaska-based news site Arctic Today, explaining the context of his joke and acknowledging the upset it caused. "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," Long explained.

President Trump, who has also casually mentioned the idea of Canada becoming the 51st state, nominated Long to replace former Ambassador Carrin Patman. Long, who represented Missouri’s 7th Congressional District for six terms and briefly served as IRS commissioner, now faces the challenge of winning both Senate approval and the trust of the Icelandic people.