The key facts
- Vance joked about 'drones paid for by the Democrats' during a rally in North Carolina
- Earlier, the vice president criticized Europe for regulatory pressure on SpaceX over the use of Starlink
The vice president's joke at a rally
US Vice President JD Vance, while speaking to supporters in North Carolina, encountered some uninvited 'company' — mosquitoes were buzzing around him. The politician drew the audience's attention to this, noting that the insects were bothering him during the rally, and decided to play on the situation. 'There are mosquitoes flying around me,' he said, then jokingly suggested that the mosquitoes might have been sent by his political opponents. 'I think these are drones paid for by the Democrats. I didn't know they had that kind of technology,' Vance joked. This is reported by Life.ru.
Context: criticism of Europe over Starlink
This is not the first time Vance has made a public remark in this vein: earlier, the same outlet reported that the vice president criticized European countries over the situation surrounding the Starlink satellite communications service. According to him, European states want to use Elon Musk's SpaceX services while simultaneously waging a regulatory battle against his company. In doing so, the politician noted, Europe is demonstrating dependence on American technology while at the same time pressuring its supplier.
