Dems hitting Vance with debunked vulgar claim 'undermine' their anti-Trump credibility, strategist says

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."

Despite the claim being quickly debunked, its viral spread was picked up by Democrats and spawned jokes and memes across social media.

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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.

"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