A cartoon by @PengellyInk (used with permission)

I wouldn’t even want to spend a few seconds in the presence of Mike Pence, but during last night’s first and only vice presidential debate, a pesky fly perched calmly on his head for exactly two minutes.

Graciously, neither the moderator nor vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris pointed out the sneaky visitor, and Pence himself did not react to it. But the American public watching at home certainly noticed, and the memes started streaming faster than the time it took me to realize that “flies” rhymes with “lies.” (The Biden campaign caught on quickly, and started selling $10 “Truth Over Flies” swatters right after the debate. Within hours, the nearly 35,000 buzzy souvenirs had completely sold out.)

It’s easy to be cynical about the fact that a tiny, insignificant insect may arguably be getting more media coverage than the important political issues at hand during the debate. But let’s face it: we are all tired and could use a comedic break. That’s why we’ve rounded up the Internet’s greatest reactions to, and hilarious personifications of, the mischievous arthropod who won America’s heart.

For any further inquiries, we refer you to @MikePenceFly___, who now has over 115,000 Twitter followers.

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Valentina Di Liscia

Valentina Di Liscia is the News Editor at Hyperallergic. Originally from Argentina, she studied at the University of Chicago and is currently working on her MA at Hunter College, where she received the...