False alarms blare that Vance repeated Kerry's mistake — a Philly cheesesteak flub

Whether you choose Geno's or Pat's won't get you into serious political trouble in a city known for its cheesesteaks. But the Philadelphia Inquirer headline left social media users gasping with a story reading: "JD Vance gets a cheesesteak at Pat's: 'He asked about why we don't have Swiss cheese.'"

The headline has since been changed to something shorter, but the notion that Vance could even entertain such a cheese drew internet side-eyes.

The report revealed that Vance inquired about a big no-no in the cheesesteak world: Swiss cheese.

“He asked why we don’t have Swiss cheese,” Pat’s manager, Sammy Garcia, told the paper with a laugh. “We thought that was funny.”

Pat's claims to be the originator of the infamous culinary delight, but competitor Geno's maintains that provolone cheese is also acceptable. Vance wanted neither, instead requesting the Swiss. It certainly isn't unheard of, particularly for those making the cheesesteak outside of Pennsylvania. But it was enough of a faux pas that locals might roll their eyes.

The cheese mistake goes back to 2004, when then-Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) asked for Swiss cheese on his cheesteak, and it became a major political scandal.

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A video from WUSA9 revealed that Vance told the men at the window that he personally hates Swiss and that it's "a thing" not to order it that way. He wanted to know why.

The thought that Vance may have ordered such a cheese was an offense that some simply couldn't stomach. X users rushed to social media to crack jokes.

Anthony Michael Kreis, a Georgia law professor, explained that in Philly, they refer to Swiss cheese preferences as "an alternative lifestyle."

Philadelphia Phillies fan and ex-Defense Department guy, Joseph Gruber exclaimed, "OMG Do these staffers not prep these folks? Also, yes, @JDVance, swiss cheese at Pat's is insulting you dumb t---."

Writer and editor-in-chief Mike McGann said that "real Philly peeps don't go to Pat's. And they don't inquire about Swiss cheese. Trump will lose the sovereign state of Cheesesteak (Philly and the collar counties) by at least 20 points (maybe 30)."

CPAC director Andrew Langer rushed to Vance's defense on X, fact-checking the story promising that the Ohio Senator never ordered his cheesesteak with Swiss while a religious influencer claimed it was a lie made up by "liberals."