--- title: The Kamala Harris Campaign Is Embracing the Memes description: Here’s the context of the coconut trees, Venn diagrams, and brat memes that the Kamala Harris campaign is unburdened by. canonical: https://time.com/7001188/kamala-harris-memes-campaign-brat-coconuts-unburdened-context-venn-diagrams/ author: Chad de Guzman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2024-07-22T09:00:00.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:49:42.508Z article:section: Politics og:title: The Kamala Harris Campaign Is Embracing the Memes og:description: Here’s the context of the coconut trees, Venn diagrams, and brat memes that the Kamala Harris campaign is unburdened by. og:url: https://time.com/7001188/kamala-harris-memes-campaign-brat-coconuts-unburdened-context-venn-diagrams/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb0d54c22e98e5ab5/698a5902db2987afe626be1d/kamala-hq.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1280 og:image:height: 720 og:image:alt: kamala-hq og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Kamala Harris Campaign Is Embracing the Memes twitter:description: Here’s the context of the coconut trees, Venn diagrams, and brat memes that the Kamala Harris campaign is unburdened by. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb0d54c22e98e5ab5/698a5902db2987afe626be1d/kamala-hq.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The Kamala Harris Campaign Is Embracing the Memes > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: Vice President Kamala Harris Talks About Biden At First Public Appearance Since Endorsement [Watch (HLS stream): Vice President Kamala Harris Talks About Biden At First Public Appearance Since Endorsement](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/aGJPCkfL.m3u8) (1:50)  _Published 2024-07-22. Vice President Kamala Harris made her first public appearance since President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race and endorsed her candidacy for president. In a shocking turn of events on Sunday, President Biden announced that he was ending his bid for a second term and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris for the Democratic nomination instead._ by [Chad de Guzman](https://time.com/author/chad-de-guzman/) and [Koh Ewe](https://time.com/author/koh-ewe/) Jul 22, 2024 9:00 AM UTC  The social media rapid-response account of Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign uses a green-colored banner image in reference to the “brat” album cover of English popstar Charli XCX. The social media rapid-response account of Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign uses a green-colored banner image in reference to the “brat” album cover of English popstar Charli XCX. @KamalaHQ/X by [Chad de Guzman](https://time.com/author/chad-de-guzman/) and [Koh Ewe](https://time.com/author/koh-ewe/) Jul 22, 2024 9:00 AM UTC “kamala IS brat,” the British pop star Charli XCX [posted on X](https://x.com/charli%5Fxcx/status/1815182384066707861) just hours after U.S. President Joe Biden withdrew as the Democratic nominee and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to lead the party against former President Donald Trump for the country’s vote in November. **Read More:** [_Why Joe Biden Stepped Down_](https://time.com/7001028/why-joe-biden-stepped-down/) For some, the “brat” tweet could appear cryptic or confusing. For Gen Z—and increasingly, the Kamala Harris campaign itself and the Democratic Party, too—the message couldn’t be more clear: Harris is the meme candidate. Shortly after Biden’s dramatic announcement, the @BidenHQ official campaign account on X converted to [@KamalaHQ](https://x.com/KamalaHQ), and it has already fully embraced Harris’ internet appeal, which some observers believe could be a meaningful gamechanger in the election. From coconuts to Venn diagrams, the Harris campaign and her supporters have turned the virality of the Vice President—as well as some of [her awkwardest moments](https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/07/09/kamala-harris-internet-social-memes/) that opponents once latched onto as signs of incompetence—into [profile-boosting symbols and soundbites](https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2024/07/kamala-harris-memes/679180/) that youth voters, in particular, can get behind. Here’s what to know about the memes that have come to be associated with Harris: ## ‘kamala IS brat’ Charli XCX’s album “brat” was released last month to critical acclaim and has topped charts around the world. It’s also emerged as a summer cultural phenomenon among young people. The artist explained what it means to be a brat on TikTok in early July: “You’re just that girl who is a little messy and likes to party, and maybe says dumb things sometimes, who feels herself but then also maybe has a breakdown but parties through it. It’s very honest, it’s very blunt and a little bit volatile.” One social media user embraced that definition for Harris by making a mashup video, featuring clips of Harris to the soundtrack of one of the club anthems off the album. It has since been viewed more than 3 million times. > [](https://twitter.com/ryanlong03/status/1808510079382982870) When @KamalaHQ launched on Sunday, it copied the stylization of the album’s cover art—all lowercase font over a solid bright green background—for its account banner image. > [](https://twitter.com/PopBase/status/1815228212391391611) ## Coconut context The @KamalaHQ account bio—“Providing context”—references another popular meme associated with the Vice President. The meme has its roots in a May 2023 [speech](https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2023/05/10/remarks-by-vice-president-harris-at-swearing-in-ceremony-of-commissioners-for-the-white-house-initiative-on-advancing-educational-equity-excellence-and-economic-opportunity-for-hispanics/) Harris gave at the White House in which she relayed an anecdote: “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?’” she said with a laugh. “You exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you.” At the time, the GOP War Room, an arm of the Republican National Committee, shared the clip in an apparent attempt to mock her. But Harris supporters have reclaimed the coconut tree. As pressure ramped up in recent weeks for Biden to step aside and Harris to take his place at the top of the ticket, a Democratic operative described themself as “[coconut pilled](https://edition.cnn.com/2024/07/20/politics/democratic-consensus-harris-should-biden-step-aside/index.html)” to CNN (a play on the [“red pill” alt-right meme](https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2021/04/red-pill-meme-alt-right-twitter/618577/)). Social media users joked about “[Operation Coconut Tree](https://x.com/stylianos%5Fk/status/1806502953840173058)” and a “[Coconut Republic](https://x.com/AdsoOfBelk/status/1808180548797333582),” and Washington-area bars began serving [coconut-inspired cocktails](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/20/style/kamala-harris-coconut-pina-colada-cocktails.html). On Sunday, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis appended three emojis to the end of his endorsement for Harris: a coconut, a tree, and the U.S. flag. > [](https://twitter.com/jaredpolis/status/1815159618588553390) [Emily’s List](https://x.com/emilyslist/status/1815104398496026819), a PAC dedicated to helping elect Democratic women candidates, similarly added the coconut and tree emojis to its username on X. And Hawaii Sen. Brian Schatz posted that he is “ready to help” the Vice President, alongside a photo of him climbing a coconut tree. > [](https://twitter.com/brianschatz/status/1815175570990276937) Last week, left-wing think tank Data for Progress conducted a [poll](https://www.dataforprogress.org/datasets/polling-on-kamala-harris-coconut-tree-quote) in which it asked members of the public if they agreed or disagreed with the statement “you exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you.” A majority across both parties agreed. ## ‘Unburdened’ In the same vein as the coconut meme, the Harris campaign seems to have turned around another meme that was originally circulated by Republicans. In [December](https://x.com/RNCResearch/status/1736468129528602811) and again in June, the RNC and Trump campaign shared video compilations of a common refrain—“unburdened by what has been”—that Harris has repeated in official speeches and along the campaign trail. But on Sunday @KamalaHQ retweeted a screenshot of an interaction on X in which a social media user replied to a Trump campaign account advising it to “drop the usage of that phrase now” because “Gen Z loves it.” > [](https://twitter.com/BMeiselas/status/1815226127121826009) ## ‘I love Venn diagrams’ Republicans have also [mocked](https://www.foxnews.com/media/kamala-harris-mocked-repeatedly-sharing-love-venn-diagrams-bizarre) Harris’ very-public fondness for Venn diagrams. “I love Venn diagrams,” Harris said in [October 2022](https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2022/10/28/remarks-by-vice-president-harris-in-a-moderated-conversation-on-protecting-reproductive-rights/). “I really do. I love Venn diagrams. It’s just something about those three circles and the analysis about where there is the intersection, right?” The RNC compiled a minute-long compilation of her praising the charts and called it “cringe.” But on Sunday, @KamalaHQ embraced [the meme](https://x.com/chiweethedog/status/1808603108123234481) with a new Venn diagram of its own, showing the intersection of Biden’s campaign and hers as “holding Trump accountable.” > [](https://twitter.com/KamalaHQ/status/1815219754619072739) It’s unclear yet what other similarities the Biden and Harris campaigns will share, but a major [difference](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/may/03/joe-biden-tiktok) has already emerged: her effectiveness at turning attention on the internet into an asset. ## Transcript Thank you. Greetings, everyone. Greetings. And Linda, I want to thank you for all you do to support these extraordinary student athletes, and it is good to be here with so many leaders, including, of course, members of Congress, members of our administration, and our extraordinary athletes. Our president Joe Biden wanted to be here today. He is feeling much better and recovering fast, and he looks forward to getting back on the road. I wanted to say a few words about our President. Joe Biden's legacy of accomplishment over the past three years is unmatched in modern history. In one term, he has already, yes, you may clap. In one term, he has already surpassed the legacy of most presidents who have served two terms in office. I first came to know President Biden through his son, Bo. We worked together as attorneys general in our states, and back then, Bo would often tell me stories about his dad. He would talk about the kind of father and the kind of man that Joe Biden is. The qualities that Bo revered in his father. Are the same qualities that I have seen every day in our President, H honesty, his integrity, his commitment to his faith and his family, big heart, and his love, deep love of our country. And I am firsthand witness that every day, our President Joe Biden fights for the American people, and we are deeply grateful for his service to our nation. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7001188/kamala-harris-memes-campaign-brat-coconuts-unburdened-context-venn-diagrams/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7001188/kamala-harris-memes-campaign-brat-coconuts-unburdened-context-venn-diagrams/"},"headline":"The Kamala Harris Campaign Is Embracing the Memes","datePublished":"2024-07-22T09:00:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:49:42.508Z","description":"Here’s the context of the coconut trees, Venn diagrams, and brat memes that the Kamala Harris campaign is unburdened by.","url":"https://time.com/7001188/kamala-harris-memes-campaign-brat-coconuts-unburdened-context-venn-diagrams/","keywords":["2024 Elections","overnight","News Desk"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb0d54c22e98e5ab5/698a5902db2987afe626be1d/kamala-hq.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Chad de Guzman","jobTitle":"Reporter","url":"https://time.com/author/chad-de-guzman/"},{"@type":"Person","name":"Koh Ewe","jobTitle":"Koh Ewe (Koyu) was a reporter for TIME based in Singapore.","url":"https://time.com/author/koh-ewe/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb0d54c22e98e5ab5/698a5902db2987afe626be1d/kamala-hq.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"kamala-hq","caption":"The social media rapid-response account of Harris’ presidential campaign uses a green-colored banner image in reference to the “brat” album cover of English popstar CharliXCX.","creditText":"@KamalaHQ/X","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/2024-election/","name":"2024 Elections"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/7001188/kamala-harris-memes-campaign-brat-coconuts-unburdened-context-venn-diagrams/","name":"The Kamala Harris Campaign Is Embracing the Memes"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Vice President Kamala Harris Talks About Biden At First Public Appearance Since Endorsement","description":"Vice President Kamala Harris made her first public appearance since President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race and endorsed her candidacy for president. 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