Fact Check: Did a JD Vance meme get Norwegian tourist banned from the US?
NEWARK NEW JERSEY: Ever since JD Vance became the vice president of the United States last November, people have often come up with some hilarious meme to troll him. Be it his blue eyes, or an altered photo of a bald Vance that circulated online, the VP has a become a memorable meme template in modern times.
Recently, Mads Mikkelsen, a 21-year-old Norwegian tourist, claimed that he was denied entry into the US at Newark Liberty International Airport because immigration officials found a meme of Vance on his phone. But is there any truth to his claim? Let us find out below.
Claim: JD Vance meme gets Norwegian tourist banned from the US
On June 11, Mikkelsen landed at Newark Airport in New Jersey and was subsequently detained by border control and put in a cell, the 21-year-old informed Norwegian news outlet Nordlys.
He said that he was set to visit his friends in New York and Austin, Texas, but went through "harassment and abuse of power" by US immigration officials.
Meanwhile, Mikkelsen recalled that the officials asked for his phone’s password.
"They threatened me with a minimum fine of $5,000 or five years in prison if I refused to provide the password to my phone," he claimed.
ICE detained a Norwegian tourist who had a JD Vance meme on their phone. They weren't allowed to enter the country.
— Pekka Kallioniemi (@P_Kallioniemi) June 24, 2025
These are the same people who blame Europe for a lack of free speech. pic.twitter.com/AFBjfAKOsz
Mikkelsen gave his password to the officials and got to know that he would not be allowed to proceed with his vacation because of two pictures he had on his phone.
One of the pictures was a meme showing VP Vance sporting a bald, egg-like dome that went viral in March 2025, which the vice president himself had shared.
Meanwhile, the other was a photo of Mikkelsen featuring a wooden pipe he crafted ages ago.
RETWEET if you want to see JD Vance’s bald head! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/Lf25fhdgLZ
— Lucas Sanders 💙🗳️🌊💪🌈🚺🟧 (@LucasSa56947288) June 24, 2025
The Norwegian tourist said, "Both pictures had been automatically saved to my camera roll from a chat app, but I really didn't think that these innocent pictures would put a stop to my entry into the country."
False: CBP says Mads Mikkelsen was denied entry for his admitted drug use
The claim made by Mikkelsen that he was denied entry to the US because of the JD Vance meme is false, as the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said that he was denied entry for his admitted drug use.
Mikkelsen told the outlet that he tried to explain that the photos were just for laughs, but was ignored.
He added that he was later subject to a strip search and made to undergo blood sampling, a facial scan, and fingerprinting.
"Later I was taken back in, and the situation got even worse. I was pushed up against a wall and strip-searched with a lot of force. They were incredibly harsh and used physical force the whole time. I felt completely devastated and broke down, and was close to crying several times," Mikkelsen said.
Norwegian tourist claims he was locked up in a cell for an additional five hours
Talking to Nordly, Mikkelsen said, "I was on the verge of panic. It felt like I was a terrorist suspect where I was sitting. I tried to pull myself together several times, but in the end, I just wanted to get home again."
He added that he was locked up in a cell for an additional five hours, and was even denied food or water.
The 21-year-old said he was forced to return to Oslo on the very day he arrived, per the outlet.
He said, "I don't feel there is any point in contacting the State Department, nor do I think they have any power against such a powerful and strict country as the United States."
