10
Loading video...
By Aliss Higham
Reporter
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
Videos of former Congressman Billy Long have gone viral on social media after President-Elect Donald Trump named him as the new head of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
Long, 69, was announced on Truth Social as Trump's pick to head up the federal tax department Wednesday evening. "I am pleased to announce that former Congressman Billy Long, of the Great State of Missouri, will be appointed to serve as the Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)," Trump said. "Billy brings 32 years of experience running his own businesses in Real Estate and, as one of the premier Auctioneers in the Country."
Long served as the representative for Missouri's 7th congressional district from 2011 to 2023, and subsequently ran for the U.S. Senate in 2022, but lost in the Republican primary. He is also an inductee of the National Auction Association Hall of Fame.
Read More on News
Clips of some of his more memorable moments as a lawmaker—particularly using his skills as an auctioneer—have been posted on X, formerly Twitter, in the wake of the announcement.
One clip, posted on X by user BehizyTweets, shows Long making use of his talents in a joke regarding the national debt.
Long said because he is an auctioneer, he is one of the "few people who can actually keep up" with the national debt, before beginning an auction chant—repetition of numbers and words spoken by auctioneers when taking bids at an auction—to joke about the rising national debt. The clip has been viewed more than 850,000 times since being posted after Trump's announcement on Wednesday.
In another clip of a House hearing in 2018, Long drowns out heckling from political activist and Trump supporter Laura Loomer by using his auctioneer voice as she is escorted from the room by security. The clip, posted after Trump's announcement by NBC News reporter Sahil Kapur, has been viewed more than 30,000 times.
As part of his announcement, Trump described the former representative as an "extremely hard worker" and "respected by all," particularly by those who know him in Congress. "Taxpayers and the wonderful employees of the IRS will love having Billy at the helm," he wrote. He is the consummate "people person," well respected on both sides of the aisle."
Born in Springfield, Missouri, Long attended the University of Missouri from 1973 to 1976, but did not finish his college degree. He is the owner of Billy Long Auctions and has previously worked as a talk radio show host.
During his 2022 bid for the Senate, YouTube removed one of his adverts as it repeated false claims of fraud during the 2020 presidential election.
If Long's nomination is confirmed by Congress, he will take over from current commissioner Danny Werfel, who was appointed to a five-year term by incumbent President Joe Biden in 2022.
...
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines