Kamala Harris and coconut tree: What's at the root of the meme

A coconut has been used to refer to brown-skinned people who are white inside. But that's not the reason why a coconut tree is associated with Kamala Harris, the Indian-origin US Vice President. Kamala Harris has been a choice for memes and the coconut tree has been the most popular one. The meme returned when Joe Biden pulled out of the Presidential race in the US, and he endorsed Kamala Harris. The internet thought the moment was ripe to bring back the coconut tree.

Colorado Governor Jared Polis tweeted in support of Harris, using three emjois: a coconut, a palm tree and the American flag.

As Democrats rallied around Harris, Hawaii Senator Brian Schatz said, “Madam Vice President, we are ready to help”. The post on X came with a photo of Schatz climbing a coconut tree.

EMILYs List, an American political action committee (PAC) which aims to facilitate the election of Democratic female candidates, showed support for Harris in a tweet and added a coconut and a tree to its username.

One meme even read, "YOU THINK THIS RESIGNATION FELL OUT OF A COCONUT TREE."

History will remember Kamala Harris for the fight she puts up in the elections, and if she wins, for what she stands up as the US President. But, sometimes, people will look at these memes and symbols and smile about them, forgetting for a moment, the stakes of politics and the US presidential election.

But the question is, why Harris began to be associated with the coconut and the tree and since when?

KAMALA HARRIS AND THE COCONUT TREE SYMBOLISM

In 2023, Harris gave a speech at a White House event to advance opportunities for Hispanic Americans.

She discussed how the initiative aims to focus on young people, but it also takes into account the needs of their families, teachers and communities as "none of us just live in a silo."

"Everything is in context," Harris said.

Then, came the moment of the coconut anecdote.

"My mother ... 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?' " Kamala Harris said as she laughed.

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

The internet knew, they had to meme it. The first of these came in February this year. There was a point when one could not go through X without seeing at least a few of these memes and symbols.

THE COCONUT TREE SYMBOL AND MEME 2.0

Then, came the Presidential debate between Biden and Trump and the meme was reborn. Many asked Biden to step down, and Harris supporters came with coconut trees with full force.

These memes and symbols are a part of larger support for Harris and what she brings to the political table.

But Harris and memes have a longer history. Even before becoming Vice President to Biden, Harris' "We did it, Joe" became viral. Her laughter and her dance moves and memes related to these have a parallel universe of their own.

The coconut tree became viral for two possible reasons. One reason is that young democrats have got Kamala Harris' back and they are the most online. The second was that they were also the ones who were most dissatisfied with Biden.

"Harris’s new online prominence could help give the Democratic Party new prominence with young people — including major content creators — who are hesitant to vote for Biden again due to his climate policies, support of Israel’s war in Gaza, mishandling of the ongoing pandemic, and signing a bill that could ban TikTok," wrote Taylor Lorenz, a Washington Post reporter.

This combination of young Democrats and Harris brings to us some of the best memes, even the coconut tree.