How the “brat summer” TikTok trend kickstarted Kamala Harris campaign memes

On Monday, President Biden’s former campaign profile on social media service X became the home of a new neon green banner inscribed with “kamala hq.” Not only did this officially launch Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign, but it also showed the campaign’s full embrace of her as Gen Z’s “brat summer” icon.  

The phrase refers to British pop star Charli XCX’s June album “BRAT,” which invokes a summer of edgy fun, partying and the so-called messy parts of being a woman like complicated female relationships and jealousy. TikTok users first latched onto Harris before her campaign launch by making edits of her dancing and laughing, but these videos exploded as news of Biden dropping out and endorsing Harris spread. 

Harris’s campaign choosing a neon green banner for their campaign was a nod to the trend, mimicking the album’s cover art. The viral TikTok edits are often neon green, combining a popular song from the album and the wildly popular and widely memed “coconut tree” clip. The quote stems from a speech where she shares what her mother used to say to her:  

“‘I don’t know what’s wrong with you young people. You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?'” Harris said, quoting her mother. “You exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you.” 

Bringing the two seemingly unrelated topics together, the Internet has generated silly and fun videos of Harris. One of the most popular examples has amassed more than 2 million views and more than 500,000 likes. The tag #kamalaharris is also trending on TikTok, with more than 101 million views and 9,000 posts in the last 7 days. 

Charli XCX has said that being “brat” is about being “just that girl who is a little messy and likes to party and maybe says dumb things sometimes,” but herself gave Harris this title on Sunday, saying, “kamala IS brat.” 

Similar viral posts also used songs like pop artist Chappell Roan’s “Femininomenon” with other Harris quotes, boosting Harris’ profile among Gen Zs and active social media users. The phenomenon is a departure from the administration’s low approval ratings and Harris’ failed run for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.  

A social media post from Gen Z organization Dream for America said, “gen-z wants a brat presidency.” 

Harris’ embrace of the viral trend is spreading beyond her campaign to others in the Democratic Party.  

The Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association is selling “demo(brat)” merch, saying “All the 365 party girls will be riding to the polls in their demo(b)rat shirts to elect Kamala Harris and Democrats up and down the ballot this November.” 

The Harris-focused trend is also reinvigorating hope for Democrats after anxieties surrounding President Biden’s age and the Republican Party’s momentum from the Republican National Convention and the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.