JD Vance Couch Story: How A Joke Turned Into Trending Topic And Was Fact-Checked

Google Trends data revealed that during the last week of July, people Googling 'JD Vance couch' blew past queries for 'Trump shooting'.

Tim Walz, named by US Democrat presidential nominee as her running mate, took a brutal swipe at his Republican opponent JD Vance over a baseless, but much-shared claim that Trump's vice president pick admitted to having sex with a couch in his memoir. At a Democratic Party rally in Philadephia, with Ms Harris by his side, Mr Walz joked, "I can't wait to debate the guy... that is, if he's willing to get off the couch and show up." The comment drew roars of laughter from the thousands of listening party supporters. Like all regular people in America's heartland, JD Vance studied at Yale, had his career funded by Silicon Valley billionaires, and wrote a bestseller trashing that community.Come on.I can't wait to debate the guy—that is, if he's willing to get off the couch and show up. pic.twitter.com/4orv0v2xTZ

Mr Walz's comment referred to a story that spread like wildfire on social media after being first shared on X by user @rickrudescalves on July 15 (later deleted). "Can't say for sure but he might be the first vp pick to have admitted in a ny times bestseller to f****** an inside-out latex glove shoved between two couch cushions."

The story was swiftly debunked by The Associated Press in a fact-checking piece titles 'No, JD Vance did not have sex with a couch', but later retracted it prompting a barrage of memes on social media.