It (most likely) didn’t, but it’s a deeply believable story. We’re living under a vain and pathetic but wannabe authoritarian regime, which has detained protesters and arrested students for writing op-eds, so we’re all forgiven for believing it to be true. Regardless of what really happened, the story itself means the meme has now officially gone international, which is fun.
On June 11, Mads Mikkelsen said he was denied entry at Newark Liberty International Airport because CBP found the bald, baby-faced Vance meme on his phone and considered it “extremist propaganda.” He claims CBP interrogated him about drug trafficking and terrorism, threatened him with fines or jail time if he didn’t hand over his phone, and then sent him back home to Norway after finding the meme. The Norwegian newspaper Nordlys first reported the story; British tabloids picked it up; and on Tuesday, Irish lawmaker Ivana Bacik held up a printout of the meme in Irish Parliament—which is now one of my all-time favorite images.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) denied all this, writing on social media: “Claims that Mads Mikkelsen was denied entry because of a JD Vance meme are FALSE. Mikkelsen was refused entry into the U.S. for his admitted drug use.”
Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin also denied it, posting a screenshot of Daily Mail‘s story on Twitter, which included the Vance meme, and writing, “BS.” Succinct!
Mikkelsen told Nordlys that he’d told agents he legally consumed cannabis in both Germany and New Mexico; I’m grateful he was honest, and I’m even more grateful to DHS for making sure this craven, maniacal, clearly dangerous drug addict was barred from entering Gildead the Great United States of America 🫡🇺🇸🦅🫡🫡🦅🇺🇸🦅🦅🇺🇸🇺🇸! Even if he does have excellent taste in memes.
- 10 years after the Obergefell decision, only 40% of Republicans support gay marriage. [Associated Press]
- Despite a promise to remove the “worst of the worst,” Immigration and Customs Enforcement has arrested only 6% of known immigrant murderers. [NBC News]
- The Trump administration appeared to confuse Mahmoud Khalil with Kilmar Abrego Garcia. [Mother Jones]
- ICE imprisoned the wife of a Marine Corps veteran—who was still nursing their 3-month-old baby—because her *mother* failed to attend a hearing in 2018. [Associated Press]
- The Washington Post published an op-ed from Kristi Noem with the headline: “Harvard flouted the rules. Now it’s getting a hard lesson.” Interesting choice. Thanks, WaPo! [Bluesky]
-
Florida is building a concentration camp called
Alligator Alcatraz. [
New York Times]
-
Sen.
Mitch McConnell on
Medicaid cuts: “They’ll get over it.” [
NOTUS]
-
Speaker
Mike Johnson is warning
Senate Republicans about losing seats due to Medicaid backlash. [
Politico]
-
Wheelchair users were
arrested and
cuffed with zip ties at the
Capitol for protesting Medicaid cuts. [
CNBC]
-
88-year-old D.C. delegate in
Congress insisted for the second time she’s running for re-election. Her office again says no decision has been made. [
NBC News]
-
Fox News’ chyron on Mamdani’s very good policies. [
Bluesky]
- “Kennedy Withdraws U.S. Funding Pledge to International Vaccine Agency.” Cool! [New York Times]
- Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee tweeted that “Zohran ‘little muhammad’ Mamdani” should be deported and denaturalized. So cool! [The Hill]
This has been your weekly Barf Bag, thanks for reading!
Correction: An earlier version of this post incorrectly stated that it was ICE, not CBP, that denied Mads Mikkelsen entry to the U.S. We regret the error.
