What Trump Has Said About Billy Long as He’s Tapped to Lead IRS

President-elect Donald Trump praised former Republican Congressman Billy Long as a “people person” while naming him as the next leader of the IRS.

Trump said that he was “pleased” to nominate Long, a former professional auctioneer who represented Missouri’s 7th Congressional District from 2011 to 2023, as the new IRS commissioner in a statement that was emailed to Newsweek on Wednesday night. The president-elect praised Long’s background in business and politics while asserting that taxpayers will “love” his leadership.

“Billy brings 32 years of experience running his own businesses in Real Estate and, as one of the premier Auctioneers in the Country,” Trump said. “He then served 12 years in Congress, because he ‘felt it was important for his constituents to have a Representative who has signed the front of a check!'”

“Since leaving Congress, Billy has worked as a Business and Tax advisor, helping Small Businesses navigate the complexities of complying with the IRS Rules and Regulations,” he added. “I have known Billy since 2011 – He is an extremely hard worker, and respected by all, especially by those who know him in Congress.”

Trump went on to say that “taxpayers and the wonderful employees of the IRS will love having Billy at the helm” because “he is the consummate ‘people person,’ well respected on both sides of the aisle.”

When Trump welcomed the St. Louis Blues NHL team to the White House to celebrate their Stanley Cup win alongside Long in 2019, Trump jokingly asked the congressman to “auction off the Stanley Cup.” Long then proceeded to call a mock auction, pretending to sell the cup for a winning bid of $65,000.

During a 2022 Trump rally in Nebraska, the former and future president prompted the crowd to give Long, who was in attendance, a round of applause while praising him as “a great guy” and “a character too.”

At the time, Long was running an unsuccessful U.S. Senate campaign. He lost in the Republican primary to current Senator Eric Schmitt. Despite praising him at the rally, Trump did not endorse Long in the primary and he finished the race in a distant fourth place.

Instead, Trump announced just before the election that he was endorsing “Eric,” without specifying whether he meant Schmitt or former Missouri Governor Eric Greitens, who was also a Senate primary candidate popular among MAGA Republicans.

Shortly after Trump’s announcement on Wednesday, video circulated on social media showing Long drowning out Trump loyalist and conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer during a 2018 protest in Congress by loudly pretending to auction off her phone.

Loomer said in a post to X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday that Long later “apologized” and “thanked me for my hard work supporting Donald Trump.”

Trump’s nomination of Long effectively announces that the president-elect intends to fire or force the resignation of current IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel, who was nominated by President Joe Biden in 2022 and has nearly three years left in his term.

Biden did not nominate Werfel until Trump-appointed former IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig’s term expired. Long will still need confirmation by the Senate, which will have a 53-47 Republican majority in January, before receiving the IRS post.