Imagine a presidency freed from all of its burdens.
It’s the future dreamed of by supporters of Vice President Kamala Harris, taken from a meme that references one of Harris’ favorite expressions: “Don’t be held back by the past, see what’s possible.”
Harris has faced criticism over her more than three years in office, with articles examining her handling of the border crisis and her struggles to define her often thankless term as vice president. Harris has proven unpopular among voters and is often not seen as an immediate successor to President Biden, with Democratic supporters often pointing to Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and California Governor Gavin Newsom as more attractive options.
But now, with Mr. Biden facing questions about his age and intellectual ability after his astounding performance in last week’s debate with former President Donald J. Trump, Ms. Harris is experiencing a surge in support. The backing is coming from prominent Democratic politicians who have signaled they are ready to rally around her, as well as from a group of social media supporters who call themselves the “KHive,” sharing posts that draw attention to videos of Ms. Harris’s sometimes outlandish statements and dance moves.
“No coconut trees. Just context. Kamala for president,” posted Ian Sandler Brown, a 22-year-old Detroit resident who works in political campaigns, paying tribute to Harris’ semi-viral comments from last year.
(“I don’t know what’s wrong with you young people,” Harris said at a White House event, quoting her mother. “You think you fell from a coconut tree? You exist in the context of everything you’re in and what was before you.”)
Suddenly, Xbox One palm tree emojis were expressing support for Harris, who will succeed Biden as the Democratic presidential nominee, some of it tongue-in-cheek: Whereas Harris’s levity (she’s known for her loud laugh and impersonations) was once a source of derision, many Democrats now see that quality as a sign of vitality, in contrast to Biden’s often choppy public performances.
“Ironically, this post was the most animated one from Democratic Twitter users in a year, so there’s probably something optimistic about it,” author and journalist Kelly Weil wrote on X.
Some social media posts compared Ms Harris to “Veep,” a political satire starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus as a fictional vice president who becomes president almost by chance.
“I think the current explosion of memes is kind of a pressure release for leftists who aren’t having a great time online,” Weil, 30, of New York, added in an interview. “Having something to joke about, having something to unite around, it feels like there’s an optimistic energy where there wasn’t any before.”
Social media users posting memes in support of Harris appear to be a diverse group, including progressives like Ki Ose, a 26-year-old New York City council member who was deeply involved in the Black Lives Matter movement. It’s less clear who her support base will be on the campaign trail.
Harris struggled to define herself in 2020, running for president as a moderate while also trying to appeal to progressives. In recent days, she has also gained support among black voters, who polls have consistently shown her to be more highly rated than white voters on her job performance and in a hypothetical matchup with Trump. Some of her recent campaigning has targeted black and Hispanic voters, and she held several stops in Las Vegas this spring, speaking with local labor union members and hosting an abortion rights event with several prominent black women.
Amid the jokes, Harris has at least some support from the establishment: Julián Castro, a former Obama administration official and 2020 presidential candidate, said on MSNBC on Tuesday that Biden should drop out of the race and let Harris take a stand against Trump.
“I think we have the people in place, including Vice President Harris, who can do a better job,” he said.
Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, a longtime Biden ally, also said Tuesday that “if she steps down, I’ll support her.”
At a White House press conference on Wednesday, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden picked Harris as his running mate because “she really is the future of the party.” A CNN poll released Tuesday showed Harris trailing Trump by two points in the hypothetical matchup, with Biden trailing by six points.
Harris has remained loyal to the president, and when asked about the prospects of leading the country on Tuesday, she told CBS News she was “proud to be Joe Biden’s running mate.”
Dan Morain, a veteran California journalist who wrote a biography of Ms Harris, said the jokes about the vice president and her past dismissals betray her political skill.
“The reality is that Kamala Harris has been underestimated her whole career,” Morain said. “Is she frivolous? I don’t think she could have run for statewide office in California three times and won without some political talent.”
Republicans have launched a preemptive attack on Harris, arguing that she could be Biden’s top candidate, focusing primarily on her record on immigration.
MAGA Inc., a super PAC allied with Trump, has openly alluded to the idea of Harris taking the reins, with a headline in a news release on Wednesday reading, “Is Invasion Czar Kamala Harris the Best They’ve Got?”
The Republican National Congressional Committee, the campaign arm of House Republicans, released an ad on Wednesday calling Harris a “top advocate” for the Biden administration. The ad concludes, “Vote Republican. Stop Kamala.”
In a post by X, the committee wrote that “if radical House Democrats abandon Joe Biden, committee members will be sharpening their knives.”
While crier voters are fond of Harris’ “I’ve unburdened my heart,” the official Trump campaign account, @TrumpWarRoom, posted a four-minute video mashup of Harris repeating the line, accusing her of having rehearsed it.
Morain suggested the attacks showed Harris could be a formidable challenger to Trump.
“She’s a good politician. She’s not Bill Clinton. She’s not Barack Obama. But she’s a good politician, and that’s why she’s being attacked,” he said. “If you’re worried about Kamala Harris being the opponent, this is what you’re going to do.”
