In what many social media users are calling blatant “gaslighting,” Politico sparked controversy with an article claiming that Sen. JD Vance (R-OH), who is running alongside 45th President Donald Trump, “tried to tie Harris” to the policies of the Biden administration during a rally in Big Rapids, Michigan.
The headline from Politico’s X (formerly Twitter) account on Tuesday read, “Vance tries to tether Harris to Biden during Michigan rally,” referencing a report by journalist Mia McCarthy. The article stated, “Speaking at a rally in Big Rapids, Michigan, former President Donald Trump’s running mate tried to tie Harris to the Biden administration’s policies.”
This claim was quickly flagged by a “Community Notes” correction on X, which pointed out the obvious: “Harris is currently President Biden’s Vice President.” The mistake led to an outpouring of reactions from readers accusing Politico of “gaslighting,” a term defined by the American Psychological Association as manipulating someone into doubting their own understanding of reality.
One X user remarked, “We’ve reached apex gaslighting, people. It doesn’t get any more ‘believe us and not your own eyes’ than this.” Another user expressed disbelief, writing, “This is a level of media gaslighting I’ve never seen before. SHE’S HIS GOD DAMN VICE PRESIDENT! RIGHT NOW!” Others echoed similar sentiments, with one person sarcastically commenting, “Harris is tied to Biden because… wait for it… SHE IS HIS VICE PRESIDENT.”
Senator Vance also joined the conversation, responding to Politico’s post by plainly stating, “The thing is: she’s Biden’s Vice President.”
The criticism only grew from there, with many users questioning how the article could have been published in the first place. One user tagged Politico’s CEO, Goli Sheikholeslami, asking, “How can you let your publication debase itself like this?” and referred to the article as “an insult to our country.” BlazeTV host Lauren Chen weighed in, writing, “No shit they’re ‘tethered,’ Harris is Biden’s VP.”
Author Michael Malice added his own criticism, saying, “I knew the corporate press was shameless, but I didn’t realize that they were this stupid.” Others expressed frustration with the media more generally, with one user writing, “Are you a news organization or a propaganda outlet?”
The backlash highlighted how social media users felt that the article ignored a basic and well-known fact: Vice President Kamala Harris is inherently tied to Joe Biden as his running mate. This simple reality made Politico’s claim appear absurd to many.
At the rally itself, Vance, along with Trump-endorsed Michigan Senate candidate Mike Rogers, criticized the current Democratic Party. Rogers warned attendees that “today’s Democratic Party is not your grandfather’s Democrat Party,” adding that it has shifted “so far to the left.” He blamed the party for issues such as rising crime, high food prices, and unaffordable gas prices.
Remember when Biden slipped up and introduced Harris as president instead of VP?