Vice President JD Vance is fresh off of a Forrest Gump-ing the death of the pope and war between India and Pakistan, and he’s only just begun to blunder.
During a task force meeting on the upcoming U.S.-hosted World Cup, and at a time when the country’s tourism industry is facing steep declines, Vance decided to strike fear into the hearts of millions of would-be tourists hoping to catch their national squad.
The veep joked that any visitors who overstayed their visas would “have to talk to Secretary [Kristi] Noem,” conjuring the image of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents rounding up die-hard fans of El Tri.
“Everybody is welcome to come and see this incredible event. We’ll have visitors from close to 100 countries. We want them to come, we want them to celebrate, we want them to watch the games,” Vance said on Tuesday. “But when the time is up we want them to go home.”
Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy echoed Vance’s comments later in the meeting, encouraging visitors to “go on a road trip” and “see this beautiful country,” before warning against running afoul of immigration officers.
“Don’t overstay your visa. Don’t stay too long,” he said. “Again, we welcome everyone.”
As legal residents are being snatched off the street and detentions at points of entry are on the rise, many international tourists seem (somewhat reasonably) terrified of taking a trip to the U.S. Tourism industry researchers are predicting a nearly 10% drop in international travel to the U.S. in 2025, as uncertainty about immigration and negative reaction to tariffs push travelers elsewhere. California’s tourism bureau is forecasting a similar drop in visitors from abroad.
“We definitely are collateral damage and part of the domino effect. We’re just caught in a chain reaction of broader economic and political decisions,” Visit California CEO Caroline Beteta said in April, per Politico.
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