John Kerry's "Fucking (or Categorically) False" Tweet

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Part of a series on 2020 Democratic Presidential Primary. [View Related Entries]

Overview

John Kerry's "Fucking (or Categorically) False" Tweet refers to a tweet briefly published by former Democratic Senator, Secretary of State, and presidential candidate John Kerry saying rumors that he is mulling a presidential run in 2020 to try and hamper Bernie Sanders' momentum are "fucking (or categorically) false." The tweet was quickly deleted but it led to a wave of jokes on the platform.

Background

On February 2nd, 2020, NBC News^[1] reported that John Kerry was overheard contemplating running for President in the 2020 Democratic Primary as a means to halt Bernie Sanders, who had been receiving favorable poll numbers ahead of the first voting states. According to the NBC News article:

Sitting in the lobby restaurant of the Renaissance Savery hotel, Kerry was overheard by an NBC News analyst saying "maybe I'm f---ing deluding myself here" and explaining that to run, he'd have to step down from the board of Bank of America and give up his ability to make paid speeches. Kerry said donors like venture capitalist Doug Hickey would have to "raise a couple of million," adding that such donors "now have the reality of Bernie."

In response to the story, Kerry tweeted, "As I told the reporter, I am absolutely not running for President. Any report otherwise is fucking (or categorically) false. I’ve been proud to campaign with my good friend Joe Biden, who is going to win the nomination, beat Trump, and make an outstanding president" (shown below). He later reposted the tweet without the expletive.^[2]

John Kerry @JohnKerry As I told the reporter, I am absolutely not running for President. Any report otherwise is f------ (or categorically) false. I've been proud to campaign with my good friend Joe Biden, who is going to win the nomination, beat Trump, and make an outstanding president. 4:41 PM · 2/2/20 · Twitter for iPhone 863 Retweets 3,343 Likes 17

Developments

After the tweet, Twitter users joked about Kerry's expletive. Parker Molloy tweeted screenshots of the two tweets, saying the first was "fucking (or categorically)" better, gaining over 60 retweets and 880 likes (shown below, left). User @cmclymer used the tweet as a snowclone about Nickelback, gaining over 360 likes (shown below, right). The expletive also made headlines, and was covered by the New York Daily News,^[3] Jezebel^[4] and others.