A coconut tree has invaded the internet. It's an emoji, one of those little symbols that reflect the mood of the moment. Since Sunday, July 21, when Kamala Harris suddenly entered the race for the White House following Joe Biden's withdrawal, it has become the rallying sign for Democrats invigorated by the candidacy – and the enthusiasm– of the US vice president.
The story of the coconut tree is a bit nonsensical, like many of the fads that pop up on YouTube. Its starting point is an anecdote told by Harris herself. On May 10, 2023, at the White House, the vice president inaugurated a commission to promote equal opportunity in education. In a neutral tone, she explained that its mission was to focus on children not only in the school environment but in their family "context."
Context? She came alive. The word reminded her of an expression her mother often used, grumbling about young people: "You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?" challenged Kamala, imitating her mother's voice. "You exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you." Perhaps realizing the incongruity of this coconut tree in the middle of the White House, the vice president started a cascading laugh, in a voice that built to a crescendo and ended in giggles.
No one would have paid any attention to this ceremony, typical of the inglorious ordinary work of presidential understudies, if the Republican "war room" that follows every little step (and faux pas) Harris makes hadn't turned it into a clip designed to illustrate the vice president's weirdness. The word "awkward" is often used on the conservative channel Fox News to describe the former senator from California, the daughter of a Jamaican economist and an Indian researcher. Here, the euphemism seems to emphasize that her points of reference are not quite those of the "Anglo" country, where they say "fall off the turnip truck" rather than the coconut tree.
Even before Biden stepped aside, Harris' friends had set about turning the anecdote to her advantage. Since Sunday, an army has risen up in the Democratic ranks. Whether it's activists or advocacy groups, practically all of them are posting a????on their social media, or a selfie proclaiming their allegiance to the "coconut army."
Hawaii Senator Brian Schatz shared a photo showing him atop a coconut tree. "Madam Vice President, we are ready to help," he tweeted. Colorado Governor Jared Polis added the palm tree emoji to his profile. He denied seeking to place himself among potential vice presidential candidates. "If they do the polling and it turns out they need a 49-year-old balding gay Jew (...) they got my number," he joked on CNN.
You have 55.34% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.