Earlier today, Vice President JD Vance posted the infamous PWEASE meme, which mocked his behavior and appearance. After months of dormancy, a corresponding meme coin spiked in response.
Vance’s post quickly went viral, spawning this crypto market reaction. Still, this is a little disconcerting; he evidently posted it to describe one of his critics as ugly. The meme coin sector may represent the entire community to outsiders.
SponsoredWhy Did JD Vance Post PWEASE?
President Trump has a clear ability to move token markets with his social media posts, and his second-in-command is evidently exercising a similar influence.
PWEASE, a meme coin based on a popular Photoshop of JD Vance, spiked after the Vice President posted it to his own social media profile.
The asset’s trading volume spiked by over 235%, and PWEASE retained 10% price gains after the hype around Vance’s post died down. The circumstances surrounding the entire exchange are a little convoluted, painting an unflattering picture.
Essentially, PWEASE was first launched after a heated meeting between Trump, Vance, and President Zelensky in February. Vance asked Zelensky if he ever thanked Trump for US military aid, attempting to score political points.
Online commentators found this a petulant gesture, spawning the infamous meme photoshop of Vance himself.
An Unflattering Interaction
SponsoredToday, Vance posted the PWEASE meme in response to online criticism. Joy Reid, a political commentator and former talk show host, lambasted Vance’s background in an interview, claiming he was a “DEI hire” who would never have been accepted to Yale without his Appalachian background.
Vance responded with the PWEASE meme, which had nothing to do with her comments. Frankly, it seemed like a dig at Reid’s physical appearance, as her high hairline looked particularly shiny on camera, just like Vance’s does in the meme.
This response went viral on X, gaining 5.7 million views in three hours.
The meme coin sector is no stranger to unseemly behavior, as murdered children and livestreamed suicides have spawned lucrative tokens.
By comparison, Vance posting the PWEASE meme isn’t that extreme. Still, he is the sitting Vice President of the United States. This is not statesmanlike behavior.
It’s more than a little concerning that the meme coin community is so excited about Vance obliquely calling a political opponent an ugly woman. Whether ecosystem builders or DeFi developers like it or not, these meme coin traders represent crypto to the world.
A reputation for misogynistic harassment is hardly ideal for long-lasting economic growth.
