Government claps back after tourist claimed he was barred from US over this meme on his phone

Norwegian tourist Mads Mikkelsen claimed he was subjected to “abuse of power and harassment” after US customs officials discovered an admittedly hilarious meme of Vice President JD Vance.

When arriving in the US at Newark Liberty International Airport to visit some friends, Mads claimed that he was taken into a private room where he was quizzed “about drug trafficking, terrorist plots, and right-wing extremism.”

“They took me to a room with several armed guards, where I had to hand over my shoes, mobile phone, and backpack,” he told a news station Nordlys in his home town.

ICE detained a Norwegian tourist who had a JD Vance meme on their phone. They weren't allowed to enter the country.

These are the same people who blame Europe for a lack of free speech. pic.twitter.com/AFBjfAKOsz

— Pekka Kallioniemi (@P_Kallioniemi) June 24, 2025

The agents allegedly threatened him with prison time or a $5,000 fine unless he unlocked his phone, at which point officials discovered the following meme of JD Vance.

Norwegian tourist, 21, refused entry to U.S. and deported after ICE finds JD Vance meme on phone — Daily Mail pic.twitter.com/CvPRbTO6L0

— NewsWire (@NewsWire_US) June 24, 2025

The meme was first birthed into existence back in February when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky clashed with Donald Trump and JD Vance in the Oval Office. People edited the photo to remove his hair and make his face chubbier, with each recurring version getting more and more extreme.

“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,” Mads said, adding that he was forced to give blood samples and fingerprints.

“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.”

The US government have clapped back at Mads Mikkelsen’s JD Vance meme

Fact Check: FALSE

Mads Mikkelsen was not denied entry for any memes or political reasons, it was for his admitted drug use. pic.twitter.com/is9eGqILUq

— CBP (@CBP) June 24, 2025

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The shocking story has been widely covered both in the UK and the America, and yet, US Customs and Border Protection have since issued a scathing takedown of the entire seemingly fake tale.

Alongside a screenshot of the MailOnline’s article, the government branch tweeted from its official account: “Fact Check: FALSE. Mads Mikkelsen was not denied entry for any memes or political reasons, it was for his admitted drug use.”

It also posted the response to Instagram and Facebook, where people have been reacting to it. Although most are now calling out Mads Mikkelsen for his allegedly fabricated story, others have described the clapback as a “PR response.”

“What initiated the questioning? It was the Meme (free speech). Then you fished for an excuse to deny him entry. He didn’t have drugs; he had simply used drugs before. If that is the barrier to entry, you’d have to turn thousands away every day,” one person wrote.

Another said: “Did you search his phone, though? Because that’s concerning if you did.”

Fingers crossed Mads responds because this is getting juicy!

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Featured image credit: Canva