It all started with a tweet about a couch. Within hours of Donald Trump announcing the Ohio senator JD Vance as his running mate in the presidential race, a rather lurid accusation cropped up on social media.

The user of a since-deleted X account wrote last month, “can’t say for sure but he might be the first vp pick to have admitted in a ny times bestseller to fucking an inside-out latex glove shoved between two couch cushions (vance, hillbilly elegy, pp. 179-181).”

The fake page citation from Vance’s bestselling memoir Hillbilly Elegy lent credibility to what turned out to be a baseless claim, as detailed in a now-removed fact check from the Associated Press. Soon, the internet was awash in memes mocking Vance’s relationship with various pieces of furniture. “I did not have sectional relations,” one X user joked, paraphrasing Bill Clinton’s infamous quote about his extramarital affair. Another user added: “Who hasn’t been excited by the thrill of the chaise?”

Even Kamala Harris’s newly launched presidential campaign appeared to get in on the fun, tweeting: “JD Vance does not couch his hatred for women.”

  • RandomlyRight@sh.itjust.works
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    3 months ago

    I hope the Democrats win, but I have to point out that someone being discredited by rumors or misinformation is not suddenly ok just because it’s your side that benefits from it

    • MutilationWave@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      They lie all the time. They lie all day. I’m tired of taking the high road. I will lie about them and laugh about it. The couch thing is hilarious and untrue. The dolphin porn search is hilarious and real.

    • CileTheSane@lemmy.ca
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      3 months ago

      someone being discredited by rumors or misinformation is not suddenly ok just because it’s your side that benefits from it

      I agree, but this rumor is so absurd that anyone who actually believes it is a fucking moron. It’s a meme joke that should be no more effective than “let’s go Brandon”. If it’s actually costing him support then he’s relying on absolute idiots to support him.

    • piecat@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      It’s going to happen more than a few times until people learn. Same with deepfakes