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kamala harris face memes
kamala harris face memes
ABC
Culture > News

The Memes Of Kamala Harris’s Face During Her First Debate With Donald Trump Are Iconic

Updated Published
Eliza Disbrow

Vice President Kamala Harris is known for being something of a meme queen, and that was on full display on Sept. 10 during her first presidential debate against former President Donald Trump. Almost as soon as the debate began, viewers across the country took to Twitter/X to comment on the policies discussed and arguments made — but they also had a lot to say about Harris’s facial expressions as she reacted to Trump’s statements.

Within what felt like two-and-a-half seconds of the debate, things were already off to a chaotic start, with Trump trying to avoid shaking Harris’s hand, but Harris going in for the handshake anyway. Then the discussion began, and it was heated and combative off the bat, with both candidates throwing jabs at each other from the very start.

For those watching at home, the split-screen style of the debate’s broadcast offered a real-time look at each candidate’s reaction to the other’s comments — which was much better than waiting for the moderators’ “and your response?” prompts, because a smirk or a cocked eyebrow sometimes spoke louder than political jargon. And Harris in particular caught viewers’ eyes as she listened to Trump talk. The memes began almost instantly.

“New meme unlocked” seemed to be the consensus regarding Harris’s facial expressions.

As a fellow expressive girly, I identified with Harris’s facial expressions so much. Like, I was making those same faces throughout the debate as well. It appears that many others felt the same, either pointing out how much they loved her facial expressions, or how it reminded them of some other iconic memes from pop culture.

Look, there were obviously many, many more important aspects of the debate than the memes. But let’s be honest: The memes were some of the best parts of the whole night.

Eliza Disbrow

Washington '26

Eliza Disbrow is a junior at the University of Washington, majoring in European Studies with a double minor in Spanish and business. Eliza is a writer for both the University of Washington chapter and for National HerCampus, covering a variety of topics, from music, books, politics, to anime. Beyond Her Campus, Eliza serves as the co-president of the University of Washington Euro Club. In her free time, Eliza can be seen taking in the sights of Seattle on any of the available forms of public transportation, normally with a book in hand and headphones in her ears. She plays guitar and bass, mainly as an excuse to play either Fall Out Boy or Ghost to family and friends. Additionally, she is perhaps the number-one super fan of "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver," somehow able to quote or recall episodes ranging from the most recent release or from three years ago.