The humble coconut tree has found itself planted at the center of Vice President Kamala Harris' 2024 presidential bid.
Just moments after President Joe Biden announced on Sunday that he was dropping out of the 2024 presidential race, the tweets began. Though only three emojis long, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis' tweet spoke volumes:
Hawaiian Sen. Brian Schatz was demonstrative in his support on X.
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"Madam Vice President, we are ready to help," he posted, alongside a photo of him climbing a coconut tree.
The coconut tree symbol first took root in May 2023, when the vice president gave remarks at the swearing-in ceremony of a White House initiative on advancing educational equity and economic opportunity for Hispanic people.
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Harris spoke on how the initiative, which focuses on young people, should also acknowledge the larger community "because none of us just live in a silo" and "everything is in context."
"[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,'" Harris said. "'You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?' You exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you."
The clip quickly circulated the internet and was added to Harris' long list of meme-able mannerisms and sayings, including her laugh, dance moves, occasional awkwardness and the famous "We did it, Joe." The coconut tree meme made a resurgence in recent weeks, with people quickly remixing the soundbite, pairing the quote with videos of Harris dancing and calling themselves "coconut-pilled" as a way of saying they supported Harris as the Democratic nominee.
One Washington bar even advertised its $5 "Piña Kamala Coconut Shots" on Sunday.
"Her endorsement didn't just fall out of a coconut tree," the bar wrote in its Instagram caption.
The phrase "coconut tree" spiked on Google searches after Biden announced his dropping out, according to Google Trends. The top two related searches were "You Think You Just Fell Out Of A Coconut Tree?" and "Kamala Harris."
Republicans have targeted Harris' mannerisms — the GOP compiled clips of the vice president from her 2020 campaign, calling her "unoriginal, annoying, and highly incompetent," while former President Donald Trump nicknamed her "laughing Kamala."
Harris' supporters have embraced what they see as her authenticity.
But only time will tell how Harris' presidential bid — and the proverbial coconut tree — will shake out.
