Vice President JD Vance thinks President Donald Trump’s racist deepfake social media post showing House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries with a mustache and wearing a sombrero is “funny.” But he may not be as prepared for the lengths California Gov. Gavin Newsom is willing to go to test his sense of humor.
A laughing Vance brushed aside criticism of Trump’s shocking AI-generated post Wednesday during the White House daily press briefing calling the shocking phony video from the President of the United States a joke.
“Oh, I think it’s funny,” Vance said. “The President’s joking and we’re having a good time. You can negotiate in good faith while also poking a little bit of fun at some of the absurdities of the Democrats’ positions and even, you know, poking some fun at the absurdity of the Democrats themselves.”
“He’s joking right. He thinks it is not offensive because Jeffries is not a Mexican American? Seriously?” a Threads user questioned. And another said, “Pretending not to understand an egregious act doesn’t mean it wasn’t egregious. It just means you’re complicit in it.”
The president posted the disgusting meme after a White House meeting with Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on Monday. Democrats are refusing to support the GOP’s government funding bill unless Republicans agree to restore Medicaid funding, which is facing massive cuts under Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill,” and extend expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies.
Jeffries, meantime, called the video “racist” and taunted the President.
“Mr. President, the next time you have something to say about me, don’t cop out through a racist and fake AI video. When I’m back in the Oval Office, say it to my face,” he said.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom jumped in on the outrage over Vance’s weak defense of Trump’s bigotry, posting another hilarious social media meme in Trumpian style.
“POOR JD! HIS SWEET BELOVED COUCH NOW COSTS MORE WITH THE TARIFFS!” Newsom wrote above an AI video showing a curly-haired, overweight Vance sitting on a large Chesterfield chair introducing a made-up show called “A HISTORY OF COUCHES WITH JD VANCE.”
The post didn’t go over well among the MAGA base.
“The funny thing is that you think portraying him like this is a win for you when all it does is show how insensitive you are to people who actually are overweight,” this X user responded, apparently missing the overall point of the couch.
But everyone else got a kick out of it.
“Well, Vance did say it’s good to have fun during times like this. Laugh it up couch boy,” a Threads user concurred and this one, “Omg, I’m dying right now.”
“Just dance Vance just said what the president did with the Mexican sombreros was just joking and having fun…well here we are I gues🤣,” said another.
Then Newsom turned Vance into a minion and the jokes just kept coming, all at Vance’s expense.
Another responded to Newsom, “I thought I couldn’t love you more!”
The Chesterfield couch has also proved to be quite popular, “Now I want one,” this X poster said.
“I kind of really want this couch now,” another chimed in.
The significance of the AI-generated Vance caricature talking about couches and why so many people find it so funny dates back a year to when Vance was still running for office as Trump’s vice presidential pick.
A joke in an X post in July of 2024 said Vance’s 2016 memoir “Hillbilly Elegy” included a section about him pleasuring himself using a latex glove shoved between two couch cushions. It was of course not true. There’s nothing in the book about that, but it went viral on social media anyway.
