Republicans Counter J.D. Vance Couch Memes With Tim Walz Horse Rumors

In his first public appearance as Kamala Harris's official pick for VP, Minnesota governor Tim Walz got the crowd fired up by referencing an internet meme at the expense of J.D. Vance. The meme claims that the Republican senator, who was chosen as Donald Trump's running mate and has so far not made a stellar impression on the public, had an intimate relationship with his couch.

During his speech, Walz mentioned that he'd love to debate Vance, if he was "willing to get off the couch and show up." Now, in a countering move, Trump and Vance supporters have made up their own meme about Walz — and it's even more NSFW. Let's take a look.

You did a double-take, didn't you? Indeed, supporters of J.D. Vance have invented a rumor that Walz, who is known for his rural lifestyle and Midwestern dad energy, had to have his stomach pumped after drinking a gallon of horse semen. The rumor originated on an anti-Joe Biden subreddit, complete with a fabricated screenshot of an AP News article.

Of course, the rumor has been debunked, and there's no evidence to support that any incident like this actually occurred — as is the same with Vance's couch rumor — but that hasn't stopped the right from running with it.

In the comments, supporters are having a field day with the meme, agreeing that it's the perfect counter to the couch situation. "What happens between a man and his gallon of horse semen in the privacy of his own home is his own business," one person wrote.

In fact, new doctored images corroborating the wild story have cropped up on social media, including a fake newspaper column posted by user @attackdogX. The image says, "In a bizarre and unprecedented medical emergency, Tim Walz, a local resident of West Point, Nebraska, was rushed to West Point General Hospital last night after reportedly overingesting horse semen. [sic]" The story is dated August 30, 1995.

As it spreads to other platforms, the rumor has been morphed and misrepresented. One person on the platform wrote, "We should lie about our enemies more. I'm hearing rumors that Tim Walz had sex with a horse?"

And, just like with the story about J.D. Vance and his couch, it seems that some are believing it: "The story about Tim Walz and a horse is beyond repulsive. No words. Truly, a sick man," one user said.

However, some left-leaning social media users have pointed out a potential flaw in the Republicans' slander plan: "Everyone seems to hate JD Vance, while everyone seems to really like Tim Walz. ... It's like when Trump made up the bit about Ted Cruz being the Zodiac Killer, if that helps. Part of why it worked is because a lot of people were already ill-disposed toward Cruz," one person on the Ask A Liberal subreddit explained.

As of writing, Harris and Walz have not publicly responded to the rumor, and constituents are eager to see if Vance and Trump work this narrative into their messaging, as Walz did.