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After Vice President Kamala Harris announced her candidacy for president, her supporters flooded social media with coconut and tree emojis. The unusual trend quickly gained attention, with many wondering why coconuts were suddenly everywhere online, reports PEOPLE. The story revolves around VP Harris’s memorable speech at the White House and President Joe Biden’s recent endorsement.
Origin of the coconut tree meme
Vice President Kamala Harris spoke at the White House on May 10, 2023. She spoke about expanding opportunities for Hispanics and investing in the lives of young people, seniors, and the broader community. “Because none of us live in a vacuum. Everything happens in context,” she explained.
Harris continues, laughing, “My mother would sometimes get on our nerves and say, ‘What’s wrong with you young people? Do you think you just fell off a coconut tree?'” She adds, “We exist within all the circumstances in which we live and what comes before us.”
This memorable line from Harris’ speech quickly became popular among her supporters and spawned the coconut tree meme. Watch the video here:
Joe Biden’s support and meme popularity
The meme gained popularity after President Joe Biden announced on Sunday, July 21, that he would withdraw from the 2024 presidential race and endorse Harris for the Democratic nomination. Harris supporters, known as the KHive, began posting coconut and tree emojis on social media.
Colorado Governor Jared Polis posted the emoji alongside the American flag. Groups like the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and Emily’s List have also added the two symbols to their usernames. Hawaii Senator Brian Schatz also joined in, posting a photo of himself climbing a coconut tree with the caption, “Mr. Vice President, we are ready to help.”
Politicians and celebrities join the trend
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, who is rumored to be Harris’ running mate, has also been a fan of the meme. After endorsing Harris, he responded to rumors about his own political future by writing, “Do you think I just fell out of a coconut tree?” This video and others like it have steadily gained traction on social media platforms.
The meme has spawned many creative posts and variations, such as communications executive Ryan Aguirre’s edited photo of an at-home COVID-19 test with coconut and tree graphics for the control and positive test results. The caption read, “COVID test for Biden,” and the post has garnered more than 47,000 likes.
The coconut tree meme has evolved alongside other internet trends. One post went viral after being edited to reflect Charli XCX’s “Brat Summer” branding. Even popular internet meme database Know Your Meme acknowledged the hotness of the moment. To mark the one-year anniversary of Harris’ speech in May, the site posted a video of Harris saying, “You think I fell out of a coconut tree?”
One social media user posted a clip of Harris’ remarks with the caption, “This video is literally like medicine for me. I watch it once or twice a week and each time I feel a mild euphoric high for 45 minutes.”
Also read: Who was Micah Miller and what happened to her? Everything we know as South Carolina pastor John Paul Miller breaks his silence about his wife’s tragic death
