Residents of the Oxfordshire town of Charlbury were met with an unusual sight this week when a van bearing an altered image of US vice president JD Vance drove through its streets. The picture showed Vance bald in a style widely used in internet memes and was displayed prominently on the vehicle.The stunt was organised by the British political campaign group ‘Everyone Hates Elon’ and took place near where Vance was reportedly holidaying with his family, reports news agency Reuters.The meme has been circulating online for months, gaining extra attention after Vance’s remarks during a White House meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. While the image is generally treated as humorous online, it has been linked to a recent controversy involving a Norwegian tourist.In June, 21-year-old Mads Mikkelsen claimed he was denied entry to the United States at Newark Liberty International Airport after immigration officers discovered the bald Vance meme on his phone. He said he was detained, questioned about drug trafficking and extremism, and pressured to unlock his phone under threat of fines or imprisonment.US customs and border protection later issued a statement denying that the meme played any role in Mikkelsen’s refusal of entry. They said the real reason was his admitted past drug use, dismissing suggestions of political motives.Mikkelsen alleged the experience was humiliating, involving strip-searches, fingerprinting, and errors in his travel records, including his Norwegian passport being incorrectly marked as Spanish.Vance has acknowledged the memes himself, telling The Blaze that he finds them funny.
