Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign is attempting to appeal to younger generations by embracing Gen Z trends and memes that have spread rapidly across the internet, often remixing some of her most cringe-worthy public statements. Axios reported on Monday that “With age and fitness for office posing such central questions in the 2024 race so far, 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.
One notable example of this effort is the Kamala HQ X account mimicking the lime green cover design of pop star Charlie XCX’s album Brat, which has been described by Glamour as “the sonic equivalent of a grimy, sweaty dance floor” and an inspiration for the “brat summer” trend. The memes often revolve around viral moments from Harris, such as her dancing or explaining how to prepare a Thanksgiving turkey. A particularly memorable comment from 2023 – “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” – has led to a wave of coconut-themed memes featuring clips of Harris.
Internet users have also edited videos of Kamala Harris, such as her dancing or explaining how to prepare a Thanksgiving turkey. These memes often feature the “coconut tree” audio, which has been used more than 3,000 times on TikTok, according to data from the app. Chris Mowrey, a Democratic social media influencer with 340,000 followers on TikTok, believes that internet moments can ultimately translate to the ballot box and said that “Young voters vote significantly more based on just personality and, like, vibes.
However, it remains to be seen whether this strategy will pay off. A left-leaning Quinnipiac poll released on Monday found that 55% of voters aged 18 to 34 have an “unfavorable” opinion of Kamala Harris, compared to 40% who feel the same about former President Donald Trump. Younger voters have a higher opinion of Harris than her running mate, Joe Biden, with 67% of young voters saying they have an “unfavorable” opinion of him.