The Viral Kamala Harris ‘Coconut Tree’ Meme, Explained

On Sunday, July 21, President Joe Biden introduced that he was dropping out of the presidential race. He then endorsed his vp, Kamala Harris, as the brand new Democratic candidate.

Instantly, social media was flooded with coconut emojis, in addition to viral movies—many playfully remixed with pop songs—of Harris uttering a catchy but out-of-context line: “You assume you simply fell out of a coconut tree? You exist within the context of all during which you reside and what got here earlier than you.”

Why? It’s a very good query—and one which many who aren’t chronically on-line are probably questioning. Beneath, the origin of the coconut-tree meme and why it’s grow to be a rallying cry for Kamala Harris supporters.

When did she say, “You assume you simply fell out of a coconut tree?”—and what does it imply?

On Could 10, 2023, Vice President Kamala Harris gave remarks throughout a swearing-in ceremony for commissioners of the White Home Initiative on Advancing Academic Fairness, Excellence, and Financial Alternative for Hispanics. In it, she mentioned the best way to higher help Hispanic college students—and why that additionally meant supporting their mother and father, grandparents, and members of their group. Human beings, Harris defined, don’t exist in a silo; a bunch of things assist to make us who we’re.

Then got here her now-famous line: “My mom used to—she would give us a tough time generally, and he or she would say to us, ‘I don’t know what’s flawed with you younger individuals. You assume you simply fell out of a coconut tree?’” Harris laughed heartily. “You exist within the context of all during which you reside and what got here earlier than you.”

When did it grow to be a meme?

Like a lot on the web, its origins are murky. Nonetheless, clips from that individual speech started showing on X as early as this previous winter. (One tweet particularly bought a couple of million views.) Nevertheless it actually gained traction in late June. On June 27, President Biden disastrously underperformed in a debate in opposition to former president Trump on CNN. It sparked discussions amongst Democratic leaders, donors, and nicely, the complete public about whether or not Biden ought to stay within the race.

And if he did drop out, who would exchange him? Harris emerged because the front-runner. Her supporters, generally known as the KHive, started recirculating the clip. Quickly, it was getting remixed and memed—significantly on TikTok, the place quite a few movies went viral.

Why did it grow to be a meme?

“You assume you fell out of a coconut tree?” is a little bit of an earworm, sure, however the phrase probably caught on for different causes too. First, there’s its humorous juxtaposition with the somewhat extra philosophical “You exist within the context of all during which you reside and what got here earlier than you,” which could possibly be an aphorism from the Enlightenment. Then, there’s the best way the road underscores Harris’s abilities as a rhetorician—which, after Biden’s lackluster debate efficiency, started to appear particularly noteworthy.