From “coconut tree" to “brat summer”, here’s everything you need to know about how Kamala Harris’ campaign is resonating with younger voters and transforming Harris into the "meme queen" of 2024.
ADVERTISEMENTIf you’re not au fait with your memes, you may find it hard to keep up to speed on US Vice President Kamala Harris’ emergence as not only the Democrats’ possible nominee but also her new status as a "meme queen".
Since President Joe Biden exited the 2024 presidential race last Sunday and endorsed his Veep to lead the party against Trump, the internet has been working overtime when it comes to memeifying Harris.
From “coconut tree" to “brat summer”, here’s everything you need to know about how Harris’ campaign is resonating with younger voters – a vital demographic come November.
"Operation Coconut Tree"
Coconuts are everywhere in online timeline mentions of Harris.
It all stems from a much-memed speech where the Vice President emphatically recalled a turn of phrase frequently used by her mother.
“She would say to us, ‘I don’t know what’s wrong with you young people. You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?’” Harris recollected in 2023 at a White House ceremony. “You exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you.”
At the time, the phrase was shared by critics, who slammed Harris as “drunk” or “crazy.”
Now, the @KamalaHQ account bio text on X reads simply “adding context” and online users and politicians have latched onto the clip, creating coconut-themed posts in support of her candidacy.
Some have even started referring to Harris’ candidacy as “Operation Coconut Tree.”
Senator Brian Schatz of Hawaii confirmed his endorsement of Harris on X by posting a photo of himself climbing a coconut tree, while Colorado Gov. Jared Polis posted emojis for a coconut, a palm tree and the American flag.
Content creators also got in on the action, by maling "fancam" edits of her speeches on TikTok, and palm tree emojis were suddenly everywhere.
Even bars in Washington capitalized on the moment by offering coconut-themed drinks.
“Kamala has a bunch of word salad quotes that are delightfully nonsensical,” said Cory Alpert, a staffer on Pete Buttigieg’s 2020 campaign and former Biden White House advance staffer who describes himself as “chronically online."
“Like you kinda know what she’s trying to say, but it doesn’t really make sense. But it’s the perfect kind of weird authenticity that works online.”
"kamala IS brat"
In case you didn’t know, it’s a “brat girl summer”.
ADVERTISEMENTConfused?
Here goes.
Following the June release of British pop star Charli XCX's new album 'Brat' - which features a minimalistic lime green square as its cover art – the LP has become one of the biggest hits of the summer. The term “brat” has been everywhere, dominating social media and fashion trends.
The word has been described by the singer as being representative of someone who might have "a pack of cigs, a Bic lighter and a strappy white top with no bra".
ADVERTISEMENTShe's explained on social media how it is similar to the "girl who is a little messy and likes to party and maybe says some dumb things sometimes, who feels herself, but then also maybe has a breakdown, but kind of parties through it”.
Basically, it's a vibe characterised by partying and having a carefree mindset.
There – you're all caught up.
When the singer-songwriter endorsed Harris to be the next Democratic presidential candidate on Monday (22 July), she wrote: "kamala IS brat".
ADVERTISEMENTThat post, at the time of writing, has 51.3 million views and since, references to it have flooded Harris’ campaign’s social media account.
Harris’ campaign quickly set its X banner photo to the Shrek-green colour of the album cover, and viral mashups of "brat" and "coconut tree" together have spread like wildfire on Instagram, X and TikTok.
Once Harris’ team launched its new X banner, CNN created another moment which went viral, as the panelists found themselves having to explain the ‘Brat Summer’ trend to its viewers.
In the 22 July segment, anchor Jake Tapper and correspondent Jamie Gangel attempted to explain the term, with Gangel referring to the brat colour as “chartreuse”, while Tapper seemed more confused than anything else.
ADVERTISEMENTGevin Reynolds, a former speechwriter for Harris, told the Guardian that he believes it’s “extremely smart for her to lean into the meme”.
“It shows a recognition of how critical young voters are to winning in November, and a commitment to meeting them where they are.”
Why do these memes matter?
Almost immediately after Biden dropped out, a lot of famous faces came forward to back Harris’ bid - following outcry from several Hollywood celebrities calling for Biden to leave the ticket.
However, the emergence of these viral moments has almost surpassed their endorsements, making Harris into someone with a growing online fandom – the “KHive”.
ADVERTISEMENTIt drums up enthusiasm for Harris, and marks her out as an alternative to President Biden, who has struggled to win over younger voters. It also positions her as someone who can connect – in a fun way - with Generation Z, something that Donald Trump also struggles to do. It's worth noting that Trump, at the age of 78, becomes the oldest presidential nominee in US history now that 81-year-old Biden is no longer in the race.
Both the coconut viral quote and the brat memes – with "brat" also being a rejection of conservative feminine identity - signal a generational shift, one which works in Harris’ favour.
As one X user put it best: “I am not fucking kidding when I say we absolutely MUST meme this woman into the presidency.”
Schatz (him again, of the coconut tree fame) said that while Harris is not part of Gen Z, what Gen Z wants is not necessarily a candidate their same age, but someone who is “in the pop culture mainstream.”
ADVERTISEMENT“We should be winning decisively among young people, and one of the impediments, frankly, was that they didn’t see anyone speaking for Democratic Party values who they found relatable,” he told AP. “Politics is definitely about policy, but it’s also about vibes, and the vibes, as the kids say, are immaculate."
It remains to be seen if Harris can capitalise on these viral moments all the way through to the November election. After all, the internet is a fickle place, and what is currently being seen as a refreshing change compared to more old-fashioned campaigns could very well backfire and seem opportunistic.
Harris needs to move from leaning into these viral trends and back them up with policy proposals and discussions that would make her a true "brat", like the protection of abortion at a federal level, for instance.
However, right now, you can imagine that Trump’s PR team has hit the panic button, as they are no longer able to play the age card. More than that, the game – as these memes show – has been turned upside down, with Harris being able to present herself as the candidate who represents America’s younger demographics.
ADVERTISEMENTHere’s hoping the brat can keep them going coco-nutty.
