In 2023, US Vice President Kamala Harris made a memorable statement during a speech that has since become a viral meme. Her words, “You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?”, have captured the internet’s attention and sparked a range of online reactions.
Kamala Harris is gearing up to formally accept her nomination as the Democratic Party’s candidate for the presidential election on November 5. As she starts her campaign, videos of her saying, “You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?” have resurfaced online. People are having fun with the phrase, using coconut and coconut tree emojis and even sharing pictures of themselves climbing coconut trees.
But how did this statement become such a big meme? It all started from a speech Harris gave in 2023 at the swearing-in ceremony for the President’s Advisory Commission on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics. In her speech, she recalled her mother’s way of saying, “I don’t know what’s wrong with you young people. You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?” Harris used this to highlight how individuals exist within a larger context shaped by history and society.
On this day one year ago, Vice President Kamala Harris said, “you think you just fell out of a coconut tree?” pic.twitter.com/Vh5OTv3XlF
— Know Your Meme (@knowyourmeme) May 10, 2024
While the meme has been widely shared and enjoyed, it is not without controversy. Cybersecurity lawyer Isvari Maranwe created a TikTok video explaining that the term “coconut,” which has become associated with Harris’s meme, has been used in a derogatory way against Indian Americans. This adds a layer of complexity to the meme’s popularity.
Kamala Harris’s official nomination as the Democratic candidate follows President Joe Biden’s announcement that he is ending his re-election campaign and endorsing Harris for the presidential election.
