Coconuts, Venn Diagrams, Brat Campaign: How Kamala Harris Is Embracing Viral Memes to Engage Young Voters
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- Her rapid response included posting a Venn diagram on X showing “holding Trump accountable” as the intersection of both the Biden and Harris operations.
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Kamala Harris’ supporters have been flooding social media with photos and emojis — the vice president in pearls and pantsuits, the U.S. flag, Venn diagrams, and coconut trees. Memes that began as a criticism of the vice president are now being embraced by her supporters.
As the Associated Press reported, “viral mashups of brat and coconut tree together — playing Charli’s music over clips of the Harris quip — have spread widely as well on Instagram, X and TikTok.”
its extremely funny that the Kamala Harris' viral coconut tree speech which has basically endeared her to a broad swath of the online electorate…
— Matt Binder (@MattBinder) July 22, 2024
…was originally discovered by the RNC Research account last year and cut as a video to attack her with lmao pic.twitter.com/IQWXVBXxfj
Axios notes that the Harris campaign’s “ability to play into the memes could engage young voters who get their news from social media and shake off the traditional stiffness of campaign communications.” It also “highlights the contrast between her and Trump, who is now the oldest presidential nominee in U.S. history.”
The trend began on Sunday right after President Joe Biden stepped down from his re-election bid and endorsed Harris. Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii solidified his endorsement of Harris on X by posting a photo of himself climbing a coconut tree. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis simply posted emojis for a coconut, tree and the American flag on X.
You think I just fell out of a coconut tree? https://t.co/fAPkYBjwGl
— JB Pritzker (@JBPritzker) July 22, 2024
The Age of Malarkey is over. The Coconut Era has begun. pic.twitter.com/0N4ckjZAdA
— Christopher Ingraham🦗 (@_cingraham) July 21, 2024
Madam Vice President, we are ready to help. pic.twitter.com/y8baSx44FL
— Brian Schatz (@brianschatz) July 22, 2024
🥥 🌴 🇺🇸
— Jared Polis (@jaredpolis) July 21, 2024
So what connection does the vice president have to a coconut tree. The reference harks back to May 10, 2023, when Harris spoke at a swearing-in ceremony of commissioners for an initiative focused on expanding educational opportunities for Hispanic and Latino Americans. While discussing the importance of families, communities and environment to ensure success for young people, she stressed that “none of us just live in a silo.”
“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?’” the vice president recalled, chuckling. “‘You exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you.’” At the time, the somewhat existential-sounding phrase was shared many times over by critics labeling Harris as “drunk” or “crazy.”
As regards to the “brat” memes, it began when British pop star Charli XCX posted “Kamala IS brat,” on X, just hours after Biden dropped out of the 2024 race and endorsed Harris. The Harris campaign’s HQ X account quickly embraced the lime-hued aesthetic of Charli XCX’s “Brat” album in its green background photo featuring the words “Kamala HQ.”
And of course there are also the green “brat” T-shirts already popping up, too, as seen in X posts from Fire Island, New York.
BRAT Kamala shirts already on Fire Island. The gays move SO FAST pic.twitter.com/Zq3e9yctzv
— Michael Del Moro (@MikeDelMoro) July 21, 2024
Harris’ viral video about Venn diagrams also saw a turnaround since Sunday. “I love Venn diagrams,” Harris said during an event in 2022. “There’s just something about those three circles and the analysis of where there’s the intersection right?”
The Republican National Committee posted a clip of the comment on YouTube as a way to criticize Harris. But many of those commenting on the posts expressed their own love for the set theory tool that shows overlapping areas of similarity.
Harris’s campaign has now seized on the moment, too, with her rapid response operation posting its own Venn diagram on X showing “holding Trump accountable” as the intersection of both the Biden and Harris operations.
I love a Venn diagram especially when it includes holding convicted felons accountable. #Harris2024 https://t.co/GSJ7V36PBJ
— Raychel (she/her) (@drmuenke) July 22, 2024