Democrats keep pushing a false and vulgar claim about Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, Trump’s running mate. This rumor, which was debunked weeks ago, just won’t go away.
"It undermines their moralizing about Trump’s falsehoods," said Democratic strategist Julian Epstein. He pointed out that it gives Trump an easy comeback, accusing them of hypocrisy.
The rumor, called the "couch meme," started on social media last month. It falsely claims that Vance described a sex act on a couch in his 2016 memoir, Hillbilly Elegy.
Even though this was quickly proven false, it spread like wildfire. Democrats latched onto it, creating jokes and memes across the internet.
The rumor even reached high-profile Democrats. During a speech in Philadelphia, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who is on the ticket with Vice President Kamala Harris, made a joke about it. "I can’t wait to debate [Vance]. That is if he’s willing to get off the couch and show up," Walz quipped, making Harris smirk.
This joke went viral on Harris’ campaign TikTok, Kamala HQ, racking up 5.3 million views. Despite multiple fact-checks debunking the rumor, Democrats have kept using the joke.
On July 26, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee took a shot at Trump’s choice of Vance, mocking Republicans for "couching their public praise."
The next day, the Kamala HQ X account took another jab at Vance, sharing a screenshot of his comments on "cat ladies," accusing him of not hiding his hatred for women.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker joined in too, joking that while Trump "talks about all kinds of crazy stuff," Vance is "getting known for his obsession with couches."
Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., couldn’t resist either. When Vance questioned why Harris hadn’t been taking media questions, Moskowitz replied, "I’ve been on Air Force 2 JD, there is a great couch on it."
These continued jabs at Vance over a debunked rumor seem to contradict the Democrats’ main criticism of Trump—that he spreads misinformation for political gain.