Right Side Broadcasting Network
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In a rather spectacular display of miscalculation, a sports reporter’s attempt to overshadow Vice President JD Vance backfired, resulting in a rather embarrassing factual blunder that the Veep seized upon with glee.
This week, during an interview on Newsmax, Vance addressed the backlash regarding the administration’s stringent policies on foreign students in the U.S. He pointed out that the foundation of the American space program was predominantly laid by citizens born in the United States, while also recognizing the invaluable contributions made by German and Jewish immigrants during World War II.
“The American Space Program, which famously succeeded in landing a human on the moon, was created by American citizens, along with some German and Jewish scientists who emigrated here during World War II,” Vance stated. “The notion that American citizens lack the capability for great achievements—implying a need to bring in a foreign class of servants—is one I firmly reject.”
WATCH:
Vance is so good: “The American Space Program, the first program to put a human being on the moon, was built by American citizens. This idea that American citizens don’t have the talent to do great things, that you have to import a foreign class of servants, I just reject that.” pic.twitter.com/Wnr1XBfBxg
— Logan Hall (@loganclarkhall) May 30, 2025
But this insightful segment drew the ire of a self-proclaimed woke sports reporter, Gregg Easterbrook, who believed he had Vance cornered in a “gotcha” moment. He aimed to dunk on the Vice President by asserting that renowned WWII aerospace engineers Wernher Von Braun and Arthur Rudolph had entered the U.S. as refugees to contribute to the Apollo program.
The two top figures of the Apollo program, Arthur Rudolph and Wernher von Braun, were German citizens who entered the United States as refugees https://t.co/0qEkSytJiV
— Gregg Easterbrook (@EasterbrookG) May 30, 2025
However, the truth is that neither Von Braun nor Rudolph entered the U.S. as refugees. As pointed out by Grok, these figures were brought over under Operation Paperclip, arriving in September 1945 to aid in U.S. military and aerospace initiatives.
They did not possess refugee status, as they were not escaping persecution. This pertinent detail did not escape Vance, who swiftly countered Easterbrook’s claim by posing a simple yet piercing question: where exactly was Von Braun a refugee from?
“Aside from the fact that I explicitly acknowledged the role of German scientists in the clip: does Easterbrook really want to describe Wernher Von Braun as a ‘refugee’?” Vance retorted. “What was he a refugee from?”
Aside from the fact that I explicitly acknowledged the role of German scientists in the clip: does Easterbrook really want to describe Wernher Von Braun as a “refugee”? What was he a refugee from? https://t.co/649IMcV3Vo
— JD Vance (@JDVance) May 31, 2025
One day, perhaps the left will learn that engaging in intellectual sparring with one of the sharpest VPs in history is a risky endeavor. But that day appears to be perpetually just beyond the horizon.
