If you didn’t know it was brat summer, don’t worry — neither did Jake Tapper.
On his show “The Lead” Monday, the CNN anchor discussed Gen Z’s obsession with Vice President Kamala Harris and how the meme-ification of her persona may win her votes in November.
The politician, who announced that she will indeed be seeking election after President Joe Biden stepped down, is no stranger to Internet virality. Her congratulatory call (“We did it, Joe!”) back in November 2020 is still quoted and circulated online to this day.
But in 2024, her quirks might be more consequential than ever.
Charli XCX has finally reached the “commercial success” she’s dreamed of with her latest release “BRAT,” and to celebrate, her fans have coined the season “brat summer.”
Several of her tracks from the album have gained viral attention on TikTok, including hot girl anthem “360,” viral dance track “Apple” and rumored Taylor Swift diss track “Sympathy is a knife.”
Following Harris’ formal announcement of her candidacy on Sunday, the cyber pop sensation stated simply that “kamala IS brat” in a post to X.
Since then, Harris’ campaign team has embraced this endorsement, even changing their Twitter background to match the signature style of the album – neon green with low quality text.
“Kamala has branded her Kamala HQ twitter page with the same aesthetic of the album. That’s another Gen Z word, aesthetic,” Tapper explained to his guests on Monday, citing his 16-year-old daughter.
CNN correspondent and boomer herself Jamie Gangel then attempted to give the definition of “brat summer” to her fellow panelists from her notes, given to her by a young producer. “You’re just that girl who’s a little messy and likes to party and maybe says some dumb things sometimes,” she said, reading Charli’s definition to the panel.
So to be clear, being “brat” is a compliment — especially from Gen Z, a population who wasn’t so sure of their options with two nearly octogenarians on the ticket ahead of Biden’s exit.
Several meme accounts have since made edits of the vice president to Charli’s “BRAT” tracks, compiling some of her most viral moments, including her dancing and, of course, her laugh.
@flextillerson kamala harris edit to 360 by charli xcx. brat presidency #kamalaharris #kamala #biden #harris2024 #charli #charlixcx #brat #360 ♬ original sound – aly
Harris had already taken over TikTok ahead of her “brat” endorsement, though. A clip from her remarks at the President’s Advisory Commission on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics in May of last year reached new heights after the first presidential debate.
The vice president had a strange tonal shift as she went from imitating something her own mother told her as a child – “You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?” – to preach a bigger lesson to the crowd – “You exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you.”
Viewers were confused yet amused by the clip, sharing and meme-ing it across various social platforms. After Biden’s dismal debate performance, the clip made it to a new level of virality, as many voters felt like they, too, had fallen out of a coconut tree.
please let me back into the coconut tree I would no longer like to exist in this context
— April Glick Pulito ⸆⸉ 🥥 🌴🤠 (@aprilglick) July 15, 2024
born to fall out of a coconut tree, forced to live in the context
— Cassidy (@cassidoo) July 17, 2024
This Gen Z exposure for the vice president and likely Democratic presidential nominee is undeniable. For now, all the campaign can do is exist in the context and the viral moment of it all.
You can watch the CNN segment in question, above.
