By Tasnim Oyshi
Correspondent
“You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?”
These famous words have been circulating through the phones of Americans since Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris said them at a White House event in May 2023, according to Forbes. With the out-of-context clip gaining millions of views on social media platforms like TikTok and YouTube, the quote has become a well-known meme among the younger voter generation.
Some have even started calling Harris’ campaign “Operation Coconut Tree.” Other members of the Democratic party have also joined in on the joke with Hawaiian Senator Brian Schatz posting a picture on X of himself climbing a coconut tree with the caption, "Madam Vice President, we are ready to help.”
The post was one of Senator Schatz’s most popular, at 4 million views. With such high engagement on posts referring to this beloved meme, it seems Gen Z has been enjoying the outcomes of social media use among candidates.
In 2024, over 40 million Gen Z individuals are eligible to vote, according to Good Morning America. If every member of Gen Z were to participate in the upcoming election, it could make a significant difference in who will be running the U.S. for the next four years.
America’s newest generation of voters was practically raised on social media and is known for creating and interacting with most of the viral content that arises from apps like TikTok and Instagram. It seems like the Democratic and Republican parties are beginning to realize this, as evident in their strategies of using social media and pop culture to rake in young supporters.
As of right now, Harris has a TikTok account with 5.8 million followers and 50 million total likes, while former President Donald Trump’s account has 11.6 million followers and 60.7 million total likes. On Instagram, Harris has 18.5 million followers and Trump has 26.6 million.
Moreover, Harris has been making good use of celebrity endorsements from Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Bill Nye and more. Her most celebrated meme regarding celebrity endorsements has definitely been Charli XCX, who posted “kamala IS brat” on X on July 21. The tweet accumulated 55.8 million views and has been referenced both by Harris’ campaign and Gen Z online.
Harris isn’t the only one using social media and pop culture to relate to Gen Z. Republican candidate Trump has also had his fair share of viral moments in his campaign so far, namely his assassination attempt on July 13 of this year. A photo of him fist-pumping the air after he was shot in the ear spread like wildfire online in his support, according to Axios.
Like Harris, Trump has also had his own celebrity endorsements. Retired professional wrestler Hulk Hogan made an appearance at the Republican National Convention, where he tore off his shirt mid-speech, declaring, “Let Trump-a-mania run wild, brother.” While being less viral than Harris’ “brat” memes, this moment has become well-known in the internet’s Republican community.
Non-partisan organizations have also started relying on the power of pop culture to attract young citizens to register. The Instagram account @headcountorg has promoted events and partnerships with celebrities including Sabrina Carpenter, Noah Kahan and Ariana Grande. They have also been posting countdowns to important days such as National Voter Registration Day in popular meme formats.
The Democratic and Republican campaigns for the 2024 election have been unlike those of the past with their utilization of pop culture to gain the attention and support of Gen Z voters. While Trump has been an active user of X in the past, none of his former opponents have ever really been up to par with his social media usage.
Harris, however, has stepped up and made quite a name for herself in the social media world. This campaign has set up a successful precedent regarding social media strategy that candidates will most likely follow in future elections.
