Dems hitting Vance with debunked vulgar claim 'undermine' their anti-Trump credibility, strategist says
Democrats have long accused former President Trump of spreading misinformation
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Democrats have continued to push a vulgar falsehood about former President Trump’s running mate Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, despite the claim being debunked weeks ago.
"It undermines their moralizing about Trump’s falsehoods and gives Trump an opportunity to say it’s ‘the pot calling the kettle black,’" Democratic strategist Julian Epstein told Fox News Digital.
Epstein’s comment comes as Democrats show no signs of ditching the Vance "couch meme," a vulgar rumor that originated on social media last month that Trump’s running mate described a sex act he performed on a couch in his 2016 memoir, "Hillbilly Elegy."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Despite the claim being quickly debunked, its viral spread was picked up by Democrats and spawned jokes and memes across social media.
WALZ ACCUSATIONS OF 'STOLEN VALOR' PROMPT BATTLE BETWEEN HOUSE VETERANS
Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz gesture during a campaign rally at the Thomas and Mack Center, University of Nevada in Las Vegas on Aug. 10, 2024. (RONDA CHURCHILL/AFP via Getty Images)
The falsehood even made its way to the top of the Democratic ticket, with Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, cracking a joke about the rumor during a speech in Philadelphia the same day Harris announced he was joining the ticket.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I got to tell you, I can’t wait to debate [Vance]. That is if — if he’s willing to get off the couch and show up," Walz said during the remarks as Harris smirked behind him, according to a recounting of the event on NBC News. "You see what I did there?"
The moment went viral on the Harris campaign’s TikTok account, named Kamala HQ, garnering 5.3 million views, NBC reported, noting that Democrats have continued to use the joke despite the release of fact-checks debunking the rumor by several media outlets.
In one such example, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee sent a news release on July 26 targeting Trump’s decision to pick Vance, joking that Republicans are "couching their public praise of Trump’s vice presidential nominee with private criticism."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}VP KAMALA HARRIS PICKING GOV. TIM WALZ AS RUNNING MATE MET WITH MEDIA SCORN: 'SUCH A WEIRD CHOICE'
On July 27, the Kamala HQ X account shared a screenshot of Vance’s moments on "cat ladies" with the caption that the Ohio senator "does not couch his hatred for women."
A day later, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, long believed to be a potential candidate to join Harris on the ticket, joked on ABC News that while Trump "talks about all kinds of crazy stuff," Vance is "getting known for his obsession with couches."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Illinois Gov. J. B. Pritzker speaks during the Clinton Global Initiative meeting at the Hilton Midtown on Sept. 19, 2023 in New York City. (John Nacion/WireImage)
Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., has also leaned into the joke, responding to Vance’s post asking why Harris had not been taking questions from the media.
"I’ve been on Air Force 2 JD, there is a great couch on it," Moskowitz said in an August 7 post on X.
The continued veiled jabs at Vance over a debunked rumor seemingly fly in the face of one of the main Democratic criticisms of Trump, who the party has long claimed peddled misinformation and false claims for political benefit.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}JD VANCE ACCUSES TIM WALZ OF ‘LYING’ ABOUT MILITARY SERVICE: ‘STOLEN VALOR GARBAGE’
That criticism of Trump took center stage during the 2016 Democratic National Convention, when then-first lady Michelle Obama famously declare "when they go low, we go high," in reference to the attacks on her and her family.
"More than anything else, Democrats want to memory-hole the Biden/Harris record of the last four years. They want to memory-hole Harris’ fringe left views from just five years ago."
Obama doubled down on the theme during the 2020 convention in support of President Biden, declaring that "going high is the only thing that works."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Moskowitz has nevertheless defended his party’s apparent double standard, arguing on social media that continuing the spread of the rumor is just jokes and does not compare to the lies spread by Trump.
"For 2 years we had to hear that Joe Biden was an international super criminal mastermind from Despicable Me 3. You will listen to couch story," he said last month.
Former first lady Michelle Obama attends Opening Night celebrating 50 years of equal pay during Day One of the 2023 US Open at Arthur Ashe Stadium at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Aug. 28, 2023. (Photo by Jean Catuffe/GC Images)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Moskowitz’s office did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.
However, Epstein believes Democrats are making a "mistake" by continuing to lean into the falsehood, though she argued getting into a "tit for tat campaign of insult comedy" would also be a "trap for the Republicans."
"More than anything else, Democrats want to memory-hole the Biden/Harris record of the last four years," Epstein said. "They want to memory-hole Harris’ fringe left views from just five years ago."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Harris campaign did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.