Vice President Kamala Harris’ potential to be the next Democratic nominee for the 2024 election didn’t just fall from a coconut tree, but her quick rise to being the most endorsed candidate in the party has created what appears to be an advantageous meme that draws upon the spirit of ‘brat summer’.
Since President Joe Biden exited the presidential race on Sunday and endorsed Harris to lead the party, memes surrounding a speech she made in 2023 and Charli XCX’s new album have been circulating online.
The “coconut tree” meme came from when the Vice President recollected a turn of phrase used by her mother at a White House ceremony last year. “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 said. “You exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you.”
When the video first began circulating last year, some people criticized Harris for her quirky phrasing, but now, online users and even politicians have used the meme to express their support for her candidacy.
Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii cemented his endorsement of her in a post on X showing himself climbing a coconut tree, with the caption reading, “Madam Vice President, we are ready to help.”
Chicago Governor J.B. Pritzker replied to a post on X questioning his ability to remain in office by saying, “You think I just fell out of a coconut tree?”
Additionally, the “brat summer” movement derived from Charli XCX’s new album “Brat,” which came out last month and has amassed a considerable following from Gen Z in particular, became integrated with the meme, with posts online showing compilations of videos of Harris with the “coconut tree” audio and songs from the album playing in the background.
Charli XCX quickly voiced her support of Kamala after the memes began circulating, writing “Kamala IS brat” in a post to X that went viral.
Harris’ campaign has embraced both the “coconut tree” and “Brat” memes, with the @KamalaHQ account’s bio on X reading “Providing context,” and the banner being changed to a neon green background and lower-case letters reading “kamala hq,” similar to the “Brat” album cover.
While these memes are representative of a comedic online youth culture, they may also be indicative of Harris’ growing popularity with a key demographic in her race against Donald Trump. Harris’ campaign is now capitalizing on her relative youth and energy in contrast to Donald Trump, who is now officially the oldest candidate running, and the oldest candidate to ever be nominated for the presidency.
