What Trump said about Billy Long when he was named head of the IRS

President-elect Donald Trump praised former Republican congressman Billy Long as a “person of the people” and named him the next chairman of the IRS.

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

“Billy brings 32 years of experience running his own real estate business and is one of the leading auctioneers in the country,” Trump said. “He went on to serve in Congress for 12 years because he ‘felt it was important for his constituents to have a representative who would sign 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 IRS rules and regulations,” he added. “I have known Billy since 2011 – he is an extremely hard worker and is respected by everyone, especially those who know him in Congress.”

Trump went on to say that “the taxpayers and the wonderful employees of the IRS will love having Billy at the helm” because “he is the consummate human being who is highly respected on both sides of the aisle.”

When Trump welcomed the St. Louis Blues NHL team to the White House to celebrate their 2019 Stanley Cup victory with Long, Trump jokingly asked the congressman to “auction the Stanley Cup.” Long then called a mock auction and pretended to sell the trophy for a hammer price of $65,000.

During a 2022 Trump rally in Nebraska, the former and future president urged the crowd to give Long a round of applause, 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. Although Trump praised him at the rally, he did not support Long in the primary and he finished a distant fourth place.

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

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

Loomer said in a post on 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 the term of Trump-appointed former IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig had expired. Before Long gets the IRS job, he must be confirmed by the Senate, which will have a 53-47 Republican majority in January.