Amazon has pulled t-shirts from their site that pushed the slogan ‘Joe and the H*e’ following uproar online from users calling them racist, sexist and ‘unacceptable’.
The offensive line was being used on clothing from pro-Trump sellers, referencing Democratic candidate Joe Biden’s Vice Presidential pick Kamala Harris.
The derogatory terms refers to a right-wing theory that Harris gained power through her sexual relationships with men.
The slogan gained momentum last Friday when conservative radio show host Rush Limbaugh repeated it while he claimed that Harris ‘used sex to get ahead’ and shared articles calling her an ‘escort’ and a ‘mattress’.
The clothing was being sold through a number of third-party brands on Amazon, specializing in pro-Trump and anti-Biden products.
One brand named The Oxygen Bandit was selling t-shirts, tank tops, hoodies and sweatshirts with a similar design to Biden’s campaign logo yet reading ‘Joe and the h–‘.
The prices of the products ranged from $24.99 to $42.99.
Other products from the brand, which does not have a stand-alone website, take further hits at Harris including a t-shirt that reads: ‘Kamala smelled the best.’
It alludes to claims of inappropriate behavior against Biden himself and him sniffing women. Another t-shirt captioned ‘Joe & the H*e’ with the subheading ‘Sniff & Blow’.
Another third-party seller named ‘Weisay’ was selling the t-shirt for $17.99. Their others political products included one reading ‘Yes, I’m a Trump girl, get over it’ and another stating ‘save America’s postal service’.
The items gained widespread condemnation Tuesday night after a screenshot of one of the t-shirts was shared by Twitter user @LesaPamplin, a criminal defense attorney from Texas.
‘Let @amazon know this is unacceptable,’ she wrote, as others shared information on how to file a complaint about the products with the online retailer.
The images were quickly shared hundreds of times as others joined the protest.
‘@amazon is selling “Joe and the Hoe” shirts. This is a targeted, sexist, racist attack against Kamala Harris. PLEASE JOIN ME in demanding that Amazon not only pull this vile merchandise from its store, but also apologize directly to Senator Harris,’ wrote Democratic political strategist Kaivan Shroff.
‘This isn’t just hateful, it’s racist and irresponsible. We urge you to remove these retailers before further damage to your brand is done,’ added Twitter account R. Stephen Browning.
‘Vile that Amazon seeks to profit from the sale of defamatory & degrading products such as this,’ wrote an account named Trumpism is not Patriotism.
The products remained online through the night despite the outrage.
However, an Amazon spokesperson confirmed to USA Today this afternoon that the products have since been removed.
The meme is the latest hit at Harris over her brief romantic relationship with former San Francisco mayor Willie Brown 25 years ago.
They dated between 1994 and 1995.
Harris did not run for office for the first time until 2003 when she won the San Francisco District Attorney runoff election.