“Do you think you just fell from a coconut tree? You exist within everything that exists and everything that existed before you.”
No, these are not the words of an ancient philosopher or a classical author. These are the words of Vice President Kamala Harris.
With rumors circulating in recent weeks about whether President Joe Biden would win and serve a full second term, and recent reports that he has dropped out of the Democratic nomination, Harris (and her internet-famous coconut tree) have been gaining more attention in the political sphere as voters look to her as a possible successor to Biden on the Democratic side.
But what does Harris’ “coconut tree” quote mean, and why did it become a meme? Here’s what you need to know.
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What is the Kamala Harris “coconut tree” meme?
Harris uttered the now-famous phrase on May 10, 2023, during her swearing-in speech for the President’s Advisory Commission on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics.
Before uttering the words, Harris had previously said “everything is in context” and had also spoken about how his mother had tormented him.
This quote may have stuck with people more than the others Harris has mentioned because of the absurd image of falling from a coconut tree and his sudden shift from playful to serious tone when he adds, “Man exists in the context of everything he lives in and everything that came before him.”
The quote took nearly a year to gain traction online, becoming a meme after Biden’s disastrous defeat in a debate with former President Donald Trump in June. Since the debate, some online and some lawmakers have begun publicly urging Biden to drop out of the race, with many pointing to Harris, already the vice president, as a suitable replacement.
According to Google Trends data, Google searches for the phrase “coconut tree,” as well as related searches for the meme and other comments by Harris, began to increase around June 28, a few days after the Biden-Trump debate ended and as calls for Biden to drop out of the race began to grow.
Social media welcomes ‘coconut tree’ meme
It’s unclear whether some of these social media posts were made sarcastically or as an outright endorsement of Harris defeating Biden in the presidential election, but the year 2024 has seen a surge in the number of memes referencing “coconut trees.”
