Shocking Move: Donald Trump Appoints Missouri’s Billy Long to Lead the IRS – Here’s What It Means

President-elect Donald Trump appointed Billy Long, a former congressman from Missouri, to head the Internal Revenue Service on Wednesday night. Long was a “consummate people person” who represented a district in Southwest Missouri for six terms. Trump said that “taxpayers and the wonderful employees of the IRS will love having Billy at the helm.” The term of the current IRS commissioner is set to end in 2027. Long claims to have invented the term “Trump train,” and he was among the first elected politicians to board it. Long claimed he was all in, promoting Trump to foreign leaders and GOP officials who laughed at the idea that the reality TV celebrity and real estate tycoon would be the next president, even though most people thought his campaign was a joke or PR gimmick.

In 2022, Long told The Independent, “I saw it early on, Trump has the ‘it’ factor.” Long chose to enter the 2010 contest for the congressional seat that became vacant when Roy Blunt chose to run for the U.S. Senate, following a lengthy career as an auctioneer and a few years as a conservative talk radio presenter. No one took him seriously, according to Long. “I was expected to finish ninth in an eight-way race,” Long remarked. I was the race’s Donald Trump. According to Long, he was viewed as a candidate who was merely running “for publicity,” “to help my business, and blah, blah, blah, things they said about Trump.” He said that he was “too fat to put on TV,” according to his own campaign strategists. “You can also publish that in the newspaper.” “You are too fat,” they stated. You cannot appear on television. People will be afraid of you.

Shortly before declaring his candidacy for the U.S. Senate on February 22, 2022, in Jefferson City, Billy Long flaunts his tie, which was autographed by former President Donald Trump (Madeline Carter/Missouri Independent).
Long ultimately prevailed by about 7.5 percentage points in the primary. He joined a large class of rookie Republicans who were swept into office by the Tea Party wave and easily won that autumn. He claims that being genuine was crucial to his success.

Long remarked, “I might not look the part.” However, I promised voters that I would play the role and that I would always act morally and with the correct motivation. And people found resonance in that. According to The Lever, Long signed a letter in his first year in Congress asking the IRS to investigate the tax-exempt status of the Humane Society of the United States, a nonprofit organization that promotes animal welfare and fights animal abuse. The letter came after the Humane Society backed a ballot initiative that strengthened laws governing dog breeders in Missouri.

Long resigned his congressional seat in 2022 to compete for the U.S. Senate, losing to eventual winner Eric Schmitt in the GOP primary and placing fourth. Trump said Wednesday that Long has been a business and tax counselor since leaving Congress, “helping small businesses navigate the complexities of complying with the IRS Rules and Regulations.” Trump claimed to have known Billy since 2011. “He works very hard and is well-liked by everyone, especially those in Congress who know him. Billy, congratulations!