First came the rumors about him fucking a couch. Then came his resurfaced comments about the country being run by "childless cat ladies," which sparked criticism from celebrities like Jennifer Aniston and Kesha. Now, social media is grappling with a throwback photo that appears to show the Republican Ohio senator wearing a red T-shirt featuring a Soviet hammer and sickle.
"Run this everywhere in Miami and Miami Dade county," user @travis_county_ wrote of the photo in a now-viral post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
In Florida, Republicans have long courted Cuban American voters by portraying Democrats as communist threats and sympathizers of the Castro regime. The strategy of stoking fears about communist infiltration has proven particularly effective in South Florida, where hundreds of thousands of Cuban exiles and their relatives reside.Run this everywhere in Miami and Miami Dade county. pic.twitter.com/UXhLXfTzpa
— Austin Enjoyer (@travis_county_) July 28, 2024
So, sure, Vance's getup might've been a Halloween costume (some social media users pointed out that he might've been dressed up as Croatian-American wrestler Nikolai Volkoff, given that he's posing alongside men in wrestling costumes).
But imagine this photo being presented out-of-context in your family's WhatsApp group chat?
"Attention Cubans of Miami! Do you hate communism? Then you should probably not vote Trump/Vance 🤷🏻♂️" one user joked.
"Comment with 🙋🏻♂️🙋🏽♀️ if you want to see this on a billboard in Hialeah," another wrote.Attention Cubans of Miami! Do you hate communism? Then you should probably not vote Trump/Vance 🤷🏻♂️ https://t.co/OMxInU8xba
— Fire Sale Summer Rich(ie) 🌹🥥🌴🐟⚾️ (@superichie) July 28, 2024
"Perhaps the Dems CAN win Florida lmao," a third replied.Comment with 🙋🏻♂️🙋🏽♀️ if you want to see this on a billboard in Hialeah. https://t.co/pUIjTKOPRn
— Miami Against Fascism 🌴☕️ (@MIAagainstFash) July 28, 2024
"$100 million needs to be spent in South Florida now," another user wrote.Perhaps the Dems CAN win Florida lmao
— Jake Landau (He/Him) 🇵🇸🇺🇦 (@JakeLandauTO) July 28, 2024
Oh $100 million needs to be spent in south Florida now
— Fitzpatrick Fan (@BrianFitzFan) July 28, 2024