By now, there are two types of people in the world: those who embrace the rise of Kamala Harris memes, and those who struggle to understand the online flurry of coconut tree emojis and pop remixes using clips of Harris’s philosophical thoughts on life. This article is for people in either group.

On August 2, Kamala Harris officially became the Democratic nominee for the 2024 US presidential election. Subsequently, Gen Z has ‘memeified’ Harris through thousands of videos utilising viral online trends, which has in turn boosted her public image.

Whether this is an intentional strategy by young people to back Harris, or just a happy accident, 41mn members of Gen Z are eligible to vote in the election, which is 8mn more since the 2022 midterms. So it makes sense for the Harris campaign to appeal to new young voters.

‘Kamala is brat’

On June 7, British singer Charli XCX dropped her hyper-pop album Brat. It swept the internet – and, incidentally, the US election campaigns — in a frenzy over the following weeks.

Brat is Charli’s highest charting album, debuting at number 3 on the Billboard 200. On TikTok the hashtag #brat has 1.3mn posts, and the album has been deemed a ‘cultural phenomenon’ by TIME.

This is what Charli XCX had to say about what ‘brat’ means to her: “You’re just like that girl who is a little messy and likes to party and maybe says some dumb things sometimes.” Someone who’s brat is someone who stays true to their chaotic and imperfect self.

The link between brat and Kamala Harris happened on July 22, the day after Biden dropped out of the race, with Charli XCX tweeting “kamala IS brat’”.

In true internet fashion, Gen Z creators amplified a viral trend of remixing iconic Harris quotes into Charli’s latest hits including 360 and Apple. Boomer and Gen X journalists at CNN scratched their heads attempting to define Kamala being ‘brat’. If you’ve ever wondered about the definition of cringe, you can watch their attempted explanation.

Kamala Harris’s official campaign account on X hopped on the Brat bandwagon and uploaded a cover photo that reads ‘Kamala HQ’ in black font over a neon green background — reminiscent of Brat’s Y2k aesthetic.

Not only has Harris’s campaign been labelled as ‘brat coded’, but fashion businesses such as Kate Spade and makeup brand Colourpop have posted similar themed marketing.

This extract from the speech has recently resurfaced, from politicians and others. The combination of an absurd topic and her contagious laughter created a perfect storm for viral content.

Hawaii senator Brian Schatz shared a photo of a man climbing a coconut tree in support of Kamala Harris. While remixes of Harris’s sound bite have been made into edits, some have preferred to focus on her infectious laugh to remix into popular songs. The topic of falling out of a coconut tree sounds extremely odd out of context, so some videos attempt to explain what these philosophical musings meant.

@bardboytroy She was also quoting her mother when she said this. Her father is Jamaican and the metaphorical use of the coconut tree is common in the Caribbean. Additionally, the quote is a small snippet of a longer speech on equity. #kamalaharris #kamala #coconuttree #coconut #fyp #educational ♬ original sound – Troy Zaher

Harris’ social media campaign also embraced the coconut tree speech by changing their bio on social media to say “providing context”. Her team continues to utilise these memes to her advantage, rather than trying to stop them.

Meanwhile, Harris’s rival, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, has mocked her laugh, calling her “Laffin’ Kamala”. “She’s crazy. She’s nuts,” Trump said at a rally in Michigan, echoing his 2016 presidential campaign where he also made fun of and insulted Hilary Clinton with his “lock her up” chant.

Speaking at the National Association of Black Journalists convention in Chicago on July 31, the former president also attacked Harris’s racial identity, falsely suggesting that she is not Black.

Kamala is the people’s ‘Momala’

This next trend sparked more controversy than the others. Back in April, Kamala Harris appeared on the Drew Barrymore Show on television. Speaking about her two stepchildren, Cole and Ella Emhoff, Harris revealed that her family refers to her as “Momala” rather than step-mom.

Barrymore, who is known for her idiosyncratic and very personal approach to guests, told Harris “we need you to be the Momala of the country”. This moment went viral on social media, with one short clip on X gaining 21.6mn views.

Reactions have been very mixed. Many criticised this moment for being racist and misogynistic, others for saying it was simply cringe. Some believe this reinforces a trope where a Black woman is supposed to be the ‘mother’; or perpetuates the ‘mammy’ stereotype about Black women whose lives focused on domestic work and raising children.

We need a ‘feminenomenon’

Harris’s presidential campaign has also embraced pop singer Chappell Roan’s hit song Feminenomenon.

The Kamala HQ TikTok account posted a video to the song lyrics ‘what we really need is a feminenomenon’ with images of Harris contrasted by those of Trump. The term, a combination of ‘feminine’ and ‘phenomenon’, is trying to claim Kamala Harris as both these things, presenting her as a modern feminist role model.

This branding ties directly to Harris’s platform, particularly her stance on women’s rights. She has said that, if elected president, she would try to restore abortion rights in the US and fight for women’s rights. She has said abortion bans are creating a “health care crisis”.

‘Feminenomenon’ has not only been used jokingly by Harris’s team, but by others online about those they believe would be better nominees for president than Trump or previously Biden, from Taylor Swift to Hermione Granger.

Midwestern dad VP

The internet has also welcomed Harris’s pick for vice president, Minnesota governor Tim Walz, who has been wholesomely labelled as a classic Midwestern dad and everyone’s favourite high school teacher.

One video shows him with his daughter at the Minnesota state fair, where he is discussing their family tradition of choosing old and new things to do. His daughter says they will try the Slingshot, Walz says he has no idea what that is, later cutting to them on the very intense Slingshot ride. He also makes fun of his daughter’s vegetarianism, which seems to me extremely dad-like.

@nowthisimpactTim Walz is everyone’s Midwestern dad♬ original sound – NowThis Impact

The memes have gone viral by playing on the familiar stereotype of the competent and compassionate Midwestern father figure. Walz’s authentic personality fits this archetype so well that the memes come across more like a biography than a parody. People are mostly in awe of him, or making jokes about things they are sure he does.

If Kamala Harris is ‘brat’, then Tim Walz is a ‘Midwest Princess’ – a reference to the singer Chappell Roan, who became an overnight sensation this summer with her new album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess. Walz’s campaign has seemingly embraced this, from selling camouflage hats very similar to Roan’s own merch, with the artist tweeting how surprised she was to see this.

The Harris and Walz combination is starting to be described as a ‘good vibes’ ticket. By focusing on positivity and humour, their campaign is creating a more uplifting atmosphere, which resonates with people seeking optimism amid difficult issues, and gives them a very much needed sense of hope.