Explaining the biggest Kamala Harris memes, from coconut trees to 'Momala' and Veep (2024)

You've likely seen the news that Joe Biden has pulled out of his re-election bid for the White House and has instead thrown his support behind Kamala Harris to be the next US president.

You might have also seen a bunch of memes about coconut trees, phrases like "unburdened" and "the context in which you live", and clips from a comedy series starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

And while it can be hard to keep up with US politics, keeping up with internet jokes can be harder.

So get comfy, find some shade under a coconut tree, and let us explain what it all means.

The coconut tree meme

This is the meme of the moment, and the one that is gaining the most traction with actual, real-life Democratic senators.

It started with a speech Harris gave last May at a White House event for advancing opportunities for Hispanic Americans.

The line that went viral is when Harris says "you think you just fell out of a coconut tree?"

She laughs before changing tone and delivering a particularly philosophical line: "You exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you."

Ironically, all the context of this moment has been stripped, so here is an excerpt from Harris's speech:

"Part of the extension of the work you will do is, yes, focused on our young leaders and our young people, but understanding we also then have to be clear about the needs of their parents and their grandparents and their teachers and their communities, because none of us just live in a silo. Everything is in context.

"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?" (Laughs.)

"You exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you."

This small section of her speech was clipped up and published in isolation by a YouTube account called GOP War Room which it says dedicates itself to "exposing the lies, hypocrisy, and failed far-left policies of Biden and the Democrat Party."

The account is managed by the Republican National Committee, and while their intentions were to cast Harris in a negative light, it had the opposite effect.

The clip went viral in February this year when it was picked up by an X user who wrote: "This video is literally like medicine to me. I watch it once every week or two and every time I do I get an enduring hit of light euphoria for the next 45 minutes."

The post, from user @evil_female, has had over 1 million views and inspired countless memes.

The coconut tree meme has since crossed the floor and gone from being an inside joke on X to becoming something of a loose symbol for Harris's campaign.

Hawaii senator Brian Schatz posted a photo of himself scaling a literal coconut tree with the caption "Madam Vice President, we are ready to help".

Meanwhile, Colorado Governor Jared Polis tweeted out three emojis: a coconut, a palm tree and an American flag.

The 'unburdened' meme

While the coconut tree meme was one single throwaway comment from Harris, the "unburdened" meme was born out of the fact the vice president has recycled this specific line countless times.

The meme began when John Cooper — a senior advisor to the House Committee on Homeland Security — posted a compilation on X of all the times Harris has said the phrase "what can be, unburdened by what has been."

The video is 4 minutes long and has been viewed more than 12 million times since it was posted at the end of June.

Similarly with the coconut tree meme, while the initial compilation was stitched together by the Republicans, it has had the opposite effect on younger social media users.

The Momala meme

The Momala meme is more straightforward.

In 2019, when Harris joined Biden on the ticket, she penned an essay for Elle magazine for Mother's Day about another important role in her life – being a step-parent to her husband Doug Emhoff's two children.

"A few years later when Doug and I got married, Cole, Ella, and I agreed that we didn't like the term 'stepmom.' Instead, they came up with the name 'Momala.'"

"Momala" became a term of endearment for Harris after she added it to her social media bios, with her description on X reading: "Fighting for the people. Wife, Momala, Auntie."

The term came back into our cultural consciousness this May when Harris was interviewed on Drew Barrymore's talk show.

Barrymore often sits incredibly close to her interviewees, and during her chat said to Harris: "We all need a tremendous hug in the world right now."

She then leans into the vice president and says: "We need you to be Momala of the country."

While we will never know what went through Harris's head at that remark, The Cut said it looked like the vice president was trying not to laugh.

The Veep memes

Before Harris was America's first female vice-president, there was the fictional Selina Meyer from Veep.

The satirical television series ran from 2012 to 2019 and was created by Armando Iannucci — he might not be a household name but you've likely heard of his British political comedy series The Thick of It.

The show starred Seinfeld actor Louis-Dreyfus as Meyer, who when we meet her is one heartbeat away from the most important job in the world.

The show follows her and her staff as they attempt to make a mark and leave a legacy, only to be mired in day-to-day political games.

The series ran for seven seasons, with Louis-Dreyfus winning six consecutive Emmy Awards for her role.

Now, there are plenty of clips at the internet's disposal in their bid to draw parallels between Meyer and Harris.

We won't tell you how Veep ends, though. And as for November? We'll have to wait and see.