Senator JD Vance has made yet another joke that backfired.
Vance was speaking in Kenosha, Wisconsin on Tuesday morning when a reporter asked how he is preparing to debate Governor Tim Walz on October 1.
“Well, I found a good friend from back home who embellishes and lies a lot, I’m having him stand in for Tim Walz,” Vance responded.
But the insult quickly backfired as several social media users joked Vance was referencing Donald Trump, who has become notorious for lying over everything from election results and crowd sizes to the weather. The Washington Post estimated that during his presidency he made more than 30,000 false or misleading statements.
“Nice of Trump to help Vance with debate prep,” author and Jeopardy! Champion Hemant Mehta wrote.
The Lincoln Project, an anti-Trump Republican organization, posted a photo of the former president with the caption, “The friend.”
“JD Vance confirms Donald Trump is helping him with debate prep,” Elie Mystal, justice correspondent for The Nation, quipped.
Others posted that they found the response flat-out strange.
“Okay, so why should the American public vote for y- ‘MY FRIEND IS A HUGE LIAR JUST ABSOLUTELY FULL OF S***,’” journalist Rafi Schwartz posted.
“How can you be Donald Trump’s running mate and say this without recognizing what a massive self-own it will be and…oh, I forgot it’s JD Vance, nvm,” USA Today humor columnist Rex Huppke said.
The Independent has contacted spokespeople for Vance and Trump for comment.
This social media mockery comes on the heels of Vance’s visit to a Philadelphia cheesesteak restaurant.
Founded by two brothers in 1930, Pat’s King of Steaks prides itself as the “originator and inventor of the steak and cheesesteak sandwich.” The joint famously serves its sandwiches with only American cheese, provolone or cheez whiz.
“I don’t like Swiss cheese either, but everybody says it’s insulting,” Vance said. “Why do you guys hate Swiss cheese so much?”
Vance appeared to be referencing John Kerry’s notorious faux pas during his 2004 presidential campaign, in which he asked for a cheesesteak sandwich with Swiss cheese during a visit to Pat’s.
“Today, in my beloved city of Philadelphia,” Philadelphia representative Brendan Boyle, a Democrat, posted on X. “JD Vance committed a crime against humanity.”
Vance has been mocked by social media users ever since joining the campaign.
At his solo debut on the campaign trail in Ohio last month, the internet pounced on Vance’s half-baked joke that Democrats would call drinking Mountain Dew “racist.”
“It is the weirdest thing to me. Democrats say it is racist to believe — well, they say it’s racist to do anything,” Vance said. “I had a Diet Mountain Dew yesterday and I’m sure they’re going to call that racist too.”
Footage showed the joke fell flat even with the live crowd, appearing to earn just one clap.
Emily Foster is a globe-trotting journalist based in the UK. Her articles offer readers a global perspective on international events, exploring complex geopolitical issues and providing a nuanced view of the world’s most pressing challenges.
