Kamala Harris announced her intention to run for president this election cycle and has quickly gathered the necessary support from other democrats to secure her nomination at the upcoming Democratic National Convention. No other politicians have stepped up to challenge her, and on the first day of her campaign, she raised over 100 million dollars. It’s not just politicians rallying behind her, though. Gen Z and other young democrats are posting edits of Harris’ speeches, Harris dancing, and cutting in her laugh to popular songs. This memeification of Harris is not criticism, but rather support, and Harris has played into the bit ever so slightly. But where is this internet adoration coming from?
Harris’ cadence and laugh, then her sudden switch to seriousness, have entertained young Americans throughout her term as vice president. This isn’t to downplay the content of her speeches: her engaging manner of speaking has allowed snippets of her talks to spread throughout the internet, often driving more engagement. The current viral clip shared between Harris supporters is taken from a 2023 speech Kamala Harris made at a swearing-in ceremony of Commissioners for the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics. With a humorous anecdote, the vice president talked about the importance of community and recognizing the context of your existence.
“Part of the extension of the work you will do is, yes, focused on our young leaders and our young people, but understanding we also then have to be clear about the needs of their parents and their grandparents and their teachers and their communities, because none of us just live in a silo. Everything is in context.
My mother used to—she would give us a hard time sometimes, and 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?’
You exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you.”– Kamala Harris
The story is unexpected yet poignant, and catchy enough to have become an internet sensation. Supporters of Harris’ bid for president have been commenting the coconut emoji all over the internet, and making creative edits with the audio. Even before the popularity of the coconut tree meme, Harris has gone viral before for her laugh, dance moves, and expressive personality.
The coconut tree meme cannot be taken out of context: people are excited to see someone other than an old white man in politics, and Harris’ vivaciousness and liberal policies are part of her popularity. People are ready to support her, and the videos they make and share are part of their support. Celebrities like Kesha — as well as journalists and magazines — are reposting edits of their songs, calling them “Kamala’s Version.”
@kesha
https://www.tiktok.com/@sophieberen/video/7395182384481635627
Adding another layer of pop culture complexity is Harris and her team’s acknowledgment of her young supporters. Harris needs to avoid being called “cringe” by Gen Z, which vocally acknowledging the memes or trying to create her own might be, but it is equally important for her to keep a connection to pop culture and maintain this level of hype. She has found that line by subtly engaging with these memes yet not wholly embracing them by making her own or plastering them everywhere. The headline of “Kamala HQ,” the official rapid response page on X of the VP’s presidential campaign, is “Providing Context.” Another nod to Gen Z and young Millenials is the account’s banner, which references UNTITLED’s #Girlpower Issue Cover Star Charli XCX’s newly released album brat, and its popularity with the same demographic that’s memeifying the Harris campaign.
#bratsummer is trending alongside Harris and preaches authenticity and a little bit of mess. Charli XCX herself tweeted “kamala IS brat,” officially connecting the vice president to the trend, and Harris’ team jumped on it. The banner on X reads “kamala hq” in a low-resolution sanserif font on a lime-green background, just like Charli’s album art. The actual connection between Harris and #bratsummer is tenuous at best, as she isn’t known for the messy party girl that the hashtag represents. The hilarity comes from associating such a buttoned-up character with the trend, and it also shows that this group has “claimed” Harris as one of their own.
The support from these young voters is overwhelming, but the fact remains that this is still the group of people with the lowest voter registration and turnout at the polls. Will all of this internet attention manifest this November, or is Gen Z uninterested in taking the necessary steps to see their voices realized irl?
