Election year is here, once again, and with it came a bit of a plot twist in regards to the Democratic nominee. Throughout most of the year, current President, Joe Biden, remained adamant and determined about his decision to run again against Republican nominee, Donald Trump. Many Americans became concerned about Biden’s mental and physical condition throughout his term, leading many to question how strong of a chance he would have against the ever-persistent Trump, who marginally lost to Biden in 2020. On July 21, 2024, some would say their prayers were answered, when Biden announced his decision to step down, and Vice President Kamala Harris announced her plans to step up. Uniquely for Harris, her campaign propelled overnight, thanks to the internet.
So, what do a British pop star and coconut tree references have to do with Harris? Luckily for Harris, her campaign coincided with the release of Charli XCX’s recent pop album, BRAT. At the same time, a clip from Harris’ conference was making rounds on the social media app, TikTok. In May 2023, Kamala Harris and the Secretary of Education, Miguel Cardona, attended a swearing-in ceremony for the White House’s new policy on advancing Hispanic and Latino education in the United States. During the ceremony, Harris tells a story from her childhood where her mother told her, “I don’t know what’s wrong with you young people. You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?” Harris follows this up by saying, “You exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you.” (Reference) In this clip, Harris essentially explains the importance of recognizing where you came from and the importance of remembering the hard work done by elders before you.
In typical Gen-Z fashion, the phrase, “You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?” became a meme, with people using it in humorous edits of Harris on Tik Tok. Charli XCX’s album BRAT, became the unofficial album for both Harris’ campaign and these edits. Leaning into the humorous attention Harris was receiving from young voters, Harris and her campaign obtained permission to use this album and branding from Charli XCX, thus launching a unique and appealing approach to her presidential campaign. To someone who is not chronically online, this may sound like a bunch of jargon; however, it again highlights the importance of paying attention to young Americans, especially Gen-Z, and the huge role they play in American politics.
The combination of the “Bratification” of Kamala Harris and her coconut tree phrase, allowed for Harris’ campaign to explode overnight among young voters, with multiple Tik Tok edits gaining millions of views and likes. Had this unique coincidence of Harris’ story going viral and the release of BRAT not happened, I would argue her campaign would not have gained quite as much attention. Additionally, Tik Tok proved to be a very important tool for Joe Biden’s win in 2020, with primarily left-leaning Americans using it to spread awareness of the Black Lives Matter Movement and other more “liberal” beliefs. Such usage of the app was a crucial tool in swaying voters away from Republican nominee Donald Trump, and towards Joe Biden and a hopeful presidency, as users made multiple videos highlighting Trump’s sexist, racist, and other conservative beliefs. It can be argued that without the app and the determination of primarily Gen-Z Americans to urge everyone to vote, Biden wouldn’t have won the election, making his decision to ban it a bit questionable.
Harris’ campaign started off quite strong thanks to the “memeification” of her statement and Charli XCX’s album. It is one of many ways Harris is hoping to appeal to more voters—along with canvasing neighborhoods in Pennsylvania yesterday and hitting as many swing states as she can. Internet culture mixing with American politics has risen in the past few years, as its role has deemed itself crucial in appealing to voters. Harris and her team have hit a gold mine of sorts when it comes to how she was able to propel her bid for presidency, one that originally appeared as an unpromising appearance by the Democratic Party. Harris and Waltz’ campaign has remained strong through the end of the campaigning run and many are anxious to see if it will pay off.