Tim Walz lands a zinger on Vance about that couch story - and attacks him for using Hillbilly Elegy to trash his own community

The newly-selected Democratic vice presidential nominee made reference to Vance’s recent bashing online during Tuesday night’s rally in Pennsylvania

Tim Walz brutally roasted his Republican counterpart JD Vance and even cracked a couch joke at his expense during his first speech since being named Kamala Harris’s running mate.

Walz drew cheers and laughter from the crowd gathered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, when he referenced the Republican vice presidential nominee’s recent bashing online, telling crowds: “I can’t wait to debate the guy... if he’s willing to get off the couch.”

Vance was subject to ridicule after a parody post on X claimed that there was part of his best-selling book Hillbilly Elegy where the Ohio Senator admitted to having relations with a sofa.

The joke was exacerbated by a since-retracted fact-check article by The Associated Press titled “No, JD Vance did not have sex with a couch,” which prompted a barrage of memes on social media.

Walz couldn’t resist jumping on the bandwagon himself on Tuesday night, hitting out at Vance’s hypocrisy in his book, and blasting his exclusive education and career.

Walz appeared alongside Harris for the first time at a rally in Pennsylvania on Tuesday (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

“Like all regular people I grew up with in the heartland, JD studied at Yale, had his career funded by Silicon Valley billionaires, and then wrote a bestseller trashing that community,” he said.

“That’s not what Middle America is. And I got to tell you. I can’t wait to debate the guy... That is, if he’s willing to get off the couch and show up.”

Walz drew cheers and laughter from the huge crowds gathered in Philadeplphia, Pennsylvania, in which he made reference to a recent social media trend about his GOP counterpart JD Vance (AP)

“See what I did there?” he added, drawing roars of laughter from supporters.

The Minnesota Governor continued the hype later that evening, posting a clip of his zinger to his 450,000 followers on X.

Walz’s remarks prompted another host of new memes. “I almost feel bad for JD Vance. There’s no way to cushion those attacks,” one user wrote. “Tim Walz is savage,” wrote another.

Others were enthused by the new match-up, with one writing: “Coach Walz vs Couch Vance.” Viewers also pointed out that Harris herself appeared to be stifling her laughter in the background while Walz was speaking.

Harris appeared to stifle her laughter after her newly announced running mate Tim Walz made reference to a viral, couch-related scandal involving JD Vance (Screengrab/ CNN)

“Oh she wanted to give the couch joke a FULL cackle,” one wrote, posting a screenshot of the vice president’s face.

At the rally, Walz also turned his attention to Donald Trump, saying: “He froze in the face of the covid crisis. He drove our economy into the ground.

“And make no mistake, violent crime was up under Donald Trump — That’s not even counting the crimes he committed.”