Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, referred to a crude sex gag based on a fake video meme during a rally held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Tuesday to mock rival Senator JD Vance, a Republican.

Walz, cheered by the crowd, said: “I’m excited to debate this guy.” He added, “That’s if he is willing to get up off the couch and come.”

The crowd laughed loudly.

He was clearly aware of his joke. “You see, what I did?” he asked.

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The joke is based on a meme claiming Vance had sex a couch. It was based off a fake quote from his book, Hillbilly Elegy.

The meme was shared widely and repeated by “progressives”, who were looking for something negative to say about Vance.

Business Insider reported that the author of the original hoax said that the ease in which people accepted his fake citation had “not bolstered” his confidence in the critical thinking skills of voters.

Walz’s campaign, which he claimed would bring Midwest decency to his ticket, began with a crude joke – one that was based on deliberately misinformed information.