Kamala Goes Viral

Summary

Podcast Summary: All Of It – “Kamala Goes Viral”

Date: July 30, 2024
Host: Alison Stewart, WNYC
Guest: Shirley Lee, staff writer at The Atlantic
Theme: The viral meme-ification and “Bratification” of Kamala Harris as she becomes the presumptive Democratic nominee for President, exploring how internet culture, memes, and pop-vibes are shaping political narratives.

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Episode Overview

This episode explores the Internet frenzy surrounding Vice President Kamala Harris following President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race and her subsequent rise as the Democratic nominee. Host Alison Stewart and guest Shirley Lee dissect Harris’s sudden viral ubiquity, meme culture’s political power, and the influence of aesthetics like “Brat”—the vibe inspired by British pop star Charli XCX’s latest album—on both politics and pop culture. Through listener calls and expert analysis, they consider what this meme moment means for the election, the risks and rewards of “leaning in,” and the broader implications for political communication.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Meme-ification of Kamala Harris (00:47–04:34)

• Rapid Rise of Viral Memes:
  • Harris’s gaffes, unique speaking style (“word salads”), and tendency to laugh off awkward moments have made her inherently memeable.
  • Example: Clips of her “coconut tree” analogy have proliferated on TikTok and Instagram.
  • Her internet presence previously was traditional and campaign-run, but also buoyed by grassroots creativity from the "KHive"—her online fan base.
  • “There’s something about the office of the vice president that makes it easy to make fun of...Kamala Harris herself has a tendency to deliver word salads and then to laugh it off in this memeable way.” – Shirley Lee [02:50]

2. The Shift After Biden’s Withdrawal (04:34–06:04)

• Campaign Strategy:
  • Harris herself hasn’t commented on the memes directly, but her campaign has subtly leaned into the meme wave—adopting the lime green ("Chartreuse" or "bile green") coloring and font from Charli XCX’s “Brat” album, echoing youth culture aesthetics.
  • While risky (since it appeals mostly to the chronically online), it feels organic—distinct from cringy past political attempts to court youth, e.g. “Pokemon Go to the polls.”
  • "The trick here is not to overdo it." – Shirley Lee [05:14]

3. Brat as Aesthetic, Attitude, and Culture (06:04–09:40)

• Explaining 'Brat':
  • “Brat Summer” comes from Charli XCX’s 2024 album, which radiated a messy, confrontational, yet vulnerable club energy.
  • “It is so not brat to explain Brat exactly, but essentially ‘brat summer’ is a trend inspired by Charli XCX’s album... It’s intentionally confrontational and provocative, but also messy... being able to party through your woes.” – Shirley Lee [06:16]
  • Harris is not necessarily “a 365-party girl,” but the campaign’s embrace of the brat aesthetic—courageously playful, under pressure—invites association.
  • Lyrics from Brat discuss childlessness, female scrutiny, and vulnerability—mirroring the narratives now swirling around Harris.
• Notable Quote:
  • “Just look at J.D. Vance’s comments about Kamala being less fit for office because she’s, quote, childless… a judgment male candidates don’t get.” – Shirley Lee [08:14]

4. Listener Engagement: Memes, Media Diets, and Calm (09:40–12:59)

• Listeners Share:
  • Karen (caller): Used to seek news solely from late night comedy due to anxiety, felt sudden hope and calm upon Harris’s announcement.
    • “As soon as she announced, all of that disappeared... I’m so much calmer. I feel like the ship has been righted.” – Karen [10:07]
  • Alison references a New York Times observation: Whereas excitement for Biden felt “manufactured from vapor,” there’s real, organic excitement for Harris online.

5. Why is Harris So Memeable? (11:24–13:04)

• Age and Playfulness:
  • Shirley Lee points to youth, and Harris’s playful “auntie vibe,” making for authentic, joyful online moments.
  • Example: Viral clip of her affectionately greeting Senator Bennet’s family.
  • “It’s a little dorky... she exudes some of that playfulness in the work. Catches people off guard.” – Shirley Lee [12:06]
  • "It's the auntie vibe." – WNYC Host [12:59]
  • “That too.” – Shirley Lee [13:03]

6. The “Coconut Tree” Meme Dissected (13:46–16:51)

• Origin:
  • The meme comes from a May 2023 White House speech:
    • “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.” – Kamala Harris
• Reaction:
  • Initially, just another awkward moment; but iterated online, it became oddly endearing and widely shared.
  • “It’s just remarkably inelegant...there’s something funny and kind of relatable about it.” – Shirley Lee [15:27]

7. Young Listener Skepticism and the Limits of Memes (16:52–21:10)

• Kayleigh (caller, 24 years old):
  • Concerned that memeification trivializes Harris, possibly obscuring her substance for those outside “the club.”
  • “…Why are we not talking about this potential leader in a more articulate way?... Brat, like, honestly, what is that even showing us?” [16:57]
• Shirley Lee’s Response:
  • Memes keep Harris “in the conversation,” but substance has to come from the candidate herself.
  • “Memes keep someone in the conversation. And what’s working for Kamala… she can seem like she’s in on the joke without being aggressive about it. These memes are just fun... But in the months to come, she’ll have to define who she is as a leader.” [18:18]
  • “Don’t overdo it—once you kill a meme, it’s dead.” – Shirley Lee [21:10]

8. Pop Culture: Serious Tool or Sideshow? (21:10–23:19)

• Why Lean In to TikTok and Memes?
  • Neglecting internet culture risks losing generational attention; “the language of pop culture is important.”
  • “Pop culture is a good way to keep someone present... younger generations define what in pop culture is being paid attention to.” – Shirley Lee [22:40]

9. Defining the Candidate—and the Dangers (23:19–26:20)

• Caller Michael:
  • Emphasizes the need for “defining Harris” themselves before the opposition does; sees viral content as a way to humanize.
  • “The other side will define Kamala Harris if we don't define her ourselves... I’m all for making her likable.” – Michael [23:23]
• Memes of JD Vance:
  • Vance is memeified too, but mostly in a “laugh at,” not “laugh with” manner—unfortunate rumors and awkward moments get spotlighted rather than joyful remixing.
  • “When it comes to JD Vance, it seems like people are laughing at him. When it comes to Kamala Harris, it’s like people are laughing with her.” – Shirley Lee [25:04]

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• Shirley Lee on Harris’s meme magic:
  • "What tickles the Internet usually requires this inexplicable X factor." [02:50]
• On the risk of meme politics:
  • “It's risky, first of all, because it is… for the really chronically online. And it sounds like gibberish to anybody who doesn't even know who Charli XCX is.” – Shirley Lee [04:44]
• On Brat’s paradoxical depth:
  • “It is so not brat to explain Brat exactly…” – Shirley Lee [06:16]
• On meme shelf life:
  • “Once you overdo a meme, the meme is dead. We're getting close to that.” – Shirley Lee [18:18]
• On the language of pop:
  • “The language of pop culture, it's there. Do you see the irony in this?” – Shirley Lee [22:40]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:47–04:34: Harris’s pre-candidacy online persona and memeability
• 04:34–06:04: Campaign’s shift post-Biden and embracing Brat
• 06:04–09:40: What is Brat? (And why does it matter?)
• 09:40–12:59: Listener reactions; the sense of hope, and comparing to Biden
• 13:46–16:51: The coconut tree meme explained and contextualized
• 16:52–18:18: Skepticism from young voters and meme culture’s downsides
• 18:18–21:10: Are people laughing with or at Harris? Memes’ political function
• 21:10–23:19: TikTok/Gen Z attention and Harris’s campaign strategy
• 23:19–26:20: The meme war for candidate definition; JD Vance’s contrasting meme moments

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Conclusion

The episode offers a sharp, culture-savvy analysis of how meme culture and the “Brat” vibes have become a defining part of Kamala Harris’s candidacy, for better or worse. While the fun, party-through-the-chaos energy has rallied the chronically online, both the host and guests recognize the double-edged sword: memes keep candidates visible and relatable, but risk overshadowing more substantive engagement. Ultimately, as Shirley Lee notes, it’s up to Harris herself to show the country what kind of leader she will be—before her moment in the meme-sun expires.

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Summary compiled from “All Of It – Kamala Goes Viral,” WNYC, July 30, 2024.

Transcript

[Shirley Lee]

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[Charli XCX]

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[Shirley Lee]

Yeah, I'll let you get back to your food.

[Charli XCX]

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[Geico Advertiser]

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[Charli XCX]

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[Shirley Lee]

All right, unc.

[McDonald's Employee]

Welcome to McDonald's.

[Shirley Lee]

Can I take your order, miss?

[Charli XCX]

I've been hitting up McDonald's for years. Now it's back. We need snack wraps. What's a snack wrap? It's the return of something great. Something snack. Rap is back. Listener supported. WNYC Studios.

[Alison Stewart]

You're listening to all of it on WNYC. I'm Alison Stewart. On July 21st, President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 race for the White House and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harri. And the Internet has been filled with memes ever since. For example, TikTok users have posted thousands of videos featuring Kamala Harris's coconut tree quote from her 2023 speech. Pop star Charli XCX, whose new album is called Brat, declared Kamala's brat. And the Chartuse album cover can be seen as a signal of support. On Instagram, a web designer created an image of the candidate holding a vinyl copy of. Whatever your favorite albums, there are fan cams of Harris dancing and laughing. Is it good fun or serious fun? And will that 15 minutes of fame expire today? We'll be diving into the Internet frenzy and mummification of presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris. The Atlantic staff writer Shirley Lee recently published an article titled the Bratification of Kamala Harris. And she joins us to discuss. Hi, Shirley.

[Shirley Lee]

Hi, Alison. Thanks for having me.

[Alison Stewart]

Listeners, let's get you in on this conversation. Are you following the election? What has been your primary source for keeping up with everything going on? Is it newspapers, television, radio or social media? How do you feel about the Internet and the memes culture, influence on our presidential election? Do you think Vice President Kamala Harris is a brat? Have you seen anything interesting or funny memes of the vice president and one of the other candidates? You can give us a call. 2124-3396-9221-2433. WNYC. You may call in or you may text to us at that number. 2124-3396-9221-2433. WNYC. Or you can reach out on social media. Olivet WNYC. Let's roll back to pre July 21st. What has been Vice President Harris social media presence been like online in the past few years? And what has been the Internet version of her before she was a candidate?

[Shirley Lee]

Well, here's the thing. She is inherently memeable. I think that kind of. There's something about the office of the vice president that makes it easy to make fun of. It's. It's why the HBO show Veep worked, right? You know, to observe what's essentially an inessential political office to. To a lot of people. But Kamala Harris herself, I. Has a tendency to deliver word salads in her speeches and then to laugh it off in this really memeable way. I mean, if you're chronically online, you've probably encountered videos of her. Like you mentioned Alison delivering that speech about coconut trees. We're gonna get there. Falling out of a coconut tree. Yeah, yeah, yeah. She pivots so quickly from laughing about the, you know, quoting her mother talking about falling out of a coconut tree to saying something really serious about existing in the context of all that came before you. And all of this is just to say that, look, what tickles. The Internet usually requires this inexplicable X factor. So it's kind of hard to explain Kamala Harris's presence on the Internet, but she operated like any other politician, really. She has her team. She has, you know, social media that's professionally designed. But. But she also has a little bit of just this grassrootsy presence made by people who are a part of the khive, Fans of Kamala who just take her gaffes and run with it and create memes because they're kind of absurd.

[WNYC Host]

Well, what has changed since Joe Biden dropped out of the race? How has her Internet presence changed now that she is the presumptive candidate?

[Shirley Lee]

Well, I want to be clear here. She herself has not really posted anything. She has not commented on Brat directly. She hasn't really been interviewed about it, though I'm sure there's going to be a question lobbed her way at something at some point. But what's changed is really her campaign has leaned into the memes. So if you look at the social media profiles for Kamala hq, you'll see that they've also adopted the Chartres slash lime green bile green, if you want to be nasty about it, color of the album cover for Charli XCX's Brat. They've also leaned into, you know, not just the color, but the font and really encouraged the discussion of Kamala being brat. And I think that's that's risky, first of all, because it is again, it's for the really chronically online. And it sounds like gibberish to anybody who doesn't even know who Charli XCX is. But it's kind of this messy, easygoing behavior that makes it cool and not forced. It's not Pokemon go to the polls, you know what I mean? It's not incorporating Brat speak into her talking points, at least not yet. The trick here is not to overdo.

[WNYC Host]

It and just to make sure people understand. British singer songwriter Charli XCS posted on X that vice president is Brat. No break down Brat for us. You told us a little bit about it, but explain Brat for us.

[Shirley Lee]

Oh boy. Alison, this is. I've said this before and I'll say it again. It is so not brat to explain Brat exactly, but essentially quote unquote, brat. Summer is a trend inspired by the British pop singer Charli XCX's latest album, which is called Brat. So all of this technically started back in February when she began rolling out snippets from her singles and doing these pop up DJ sets and, you know, drenching, you know, everything she touched in that again, lime green Chartres color. It created this aesthetic. So essentially it's an album that inspired an attitude, that inspired an online trend. And so when we say something is Brat, we're talking about the attitude, not necessarily the music, the album itself, but the attitude is about what she is. Kind of what Charli XCX presents on the album, which is this idea of being, let's see, like intentionally confrontational and provocative, but also messy and being able to party through your woes. It's being vulnerable, but also being a party girl. And my suspicion is that Charli XCX sees in Kamala or her presidential campaign, she sees in all of that someone who faces the same kinds of pressures that any female public figure does, but in a really concentrated way. You know, it's not that Kamala herself is Brat. I don't think she's, you know, a three, six, five party girl, which is a lyric from Brat. But the campaigns incorporation of the Brat aesthetic is. And Alison, honestly, it's even more Brat that we've been discussing this and Charlie has not elaborated any further on what she meant.

[WNYC Host]

Well, Brat is also kind of a vibe.

[Shirley Lee]

Yes, Brat is totally a vibe. Brat. I mean, the Brat sound is fit for a club. I mean, the beats are club beats. They're meant to get you dancing, they're meant to get you on the floor. You Know, maybe doing hard drugs. But their lyrics, if you listen to the album all the way through, right, their lyrics are really about Charlie's insecurities. There's a song about whether she's fulfilled as a woman despite not having children. There are lyrics about whether she's perceived as, you know, to be as successful as other artists and whether she even perceives herself as successful when she's jealous of other women's success. And so when you look at that, you can trace how perhaps, again, not that Charlie has elaborated on this, but you can maybe see how Kamala is a provocative choice and she's similarly scrutinized, right? Just look at J.D. vance's comments about Kamala being less fit for political office because she's, quote, unquote, childless. And that's a judgment male candidates don't get tossed their way. I mean, for the record, right, Kamala's stepchildren have pushed back against that characterization, but it goes to what brat the album is about, and I think brat, the attitude comes with it.

[Alison Stewart]

We got a text. My favorite is an image of Kamala Harris face replacing Timothee Chalamet as the messiah of the Dune movie. Ready for a fight? Let's talk to Karen on line one. Hi, Karen. Thanks for calling, all of it.

[Karen (Caller)]

Hi, thanks for taking my call. So first I just wanted to say that I was getting my news only from Jimmy Kimmel, because it was, like, the only person I could take before Kamala announced. I just couldn't even watch regular news. And then I also was saying to the woman who answered, I was in such a distraught, you know, catastrophic way that I booked a weekend cheap retreat that I've gone to in the past. But I love it. And some Buddhist people were speaking because I desperately needed something to make me have some hope and less fear about the future. And as soon as she announced, like, all of that would disappear, like, I have no real need now to even go, I'm gonna go. But I'm so much calmer. I'm so much hopeful. I feel like the ship has been righted a little bit. And I do have a lot of faith that we will see the right thing happen this election.

[Alison Stewart]

Karen, thank you for calling in. I'm going to follow up on Karen. The New York Times said that online creators have been waiting for this moment. They quoted them as saying, there's genuine excitement among Ms. Harris's liberal creators. He said, quote, whereas with Biden, we were trying to manufacture excitement from vapor. What does she have that Biden does not?

[Shirley Lee]

Well, I'll just point to the age thing. First of all. Right, here's. I want, you know, I want people to remember that there was a time when Joe Biden was also memeable. And I think that was because he was younger than he is now. Time marches on. He was also vice president, and it seemed like he was in on the joke. It was kind of fun. And then over time, it just felt like if you were memeing him, you were kind of punching down. Nabala is different because not only is she younger, not only did she hold an office that is already inherently memeable, like I said before, I also think that her personality makes her more exciting, more joyful. I'm trying to land on the right word. It's not necessarily cool. It's a little dorky. But I think if you've seen the clip of her greeting the Bennetts, I don't know if you've seen this. There's a clip in which she's greeting politicians and Senator Bennett and his family walks up and he greets her in this really low voice and she responds in kind where she goes, hello, Senator Bennett. And it's playful and teasing and it kind of comes out of nowhere. And I think she exudes some of that playfulness in the work. And I think that catches people off guard in a way that's exciting and that really makes people on the Internet want to jump on board and create and mash her together with whatever else is trending. You know, it's hard to explain.

[WNYC Host]

I always call it. It's the auntie vibe. It's the whole thing.

[Shirley Lee]

That too.

[Alison Stewart]

That too. My guest is Shirley Lee.

[WNYC Host]

We are discussing the memeification of presidential candidate Kamala Harris. We are taking your calls. We wanna know where you are getting your media from. Are you getting from social media, ra TV news, newspapers? How do you feel about the Internet meme culture's influence on the presidential election? Our Phone number is 2124-3396-9221-2433. WNYC. You can call or you can text to us at that number. After the break, we'll get to the co.

[Alison Stewart]

This is olafit. We're discussing the memeification of presidential candidate Kamala Harris with the Atlantic staff's writer Shirley Lee, who recently published the article the Bratification of Kamala Harris. Okay, we've gotten to the coconut tree. This meme originates from a May 2023 speech Harris gave at the White House at an event advancing for advancing opportunities for Hispanic Americans. Let's Listen to it in context, but.

[McDonald's Employee]

It'S also about what is the culture of the environment. How are we approaching this issue in a way that we also understand we cannot support and help our young people if we also don't also look at the context in which those young people live and are being raised. Which means necessarily because our edict and our mission is not to come out and say, well, we could do this better. Part of the extension of the. The work you will do is, yes, focused on our young leaders and our young people, but understanding we also then have to be clear about the needs of their parents and their grandparents and their teachers and their communities, because none of us just live in asylum. Everything is in context. My mother used to. She would give us a hard time sometimes and she would say to us, I don't know what's wrong with. With you young people. 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.

[Alison Stewart]

Okay, initially, how was the speech received when it was first given?

[Shirley Lee]

I think when it was first given, you know, people were kind of just like, okay, this is. It's just another speech with a. With a bit of a word salad in the middle. It took some time to become a meme because I think eventually when it was available to be watched, I can't remember who exactly picked it up, but, you know, someone took that clip and began iterating on it. And not to explain how to how a meme forms, but I think ordinary users out on the Internet just started iterating on the quote a little bit more and zooming in. Not zooming in, but know, honing in on that exact bit where she goes from quoting her mother, to trying to talk about, you know, a really, you know, to trying to deliver in a serious tone what she means by saying you think you just fell out of a coconut tree. And I think people were just tickled by it. And. And then it really grew from there. It took a couple months, but it's. I mean, it's just remarkably inelegant. You know what I mean? It's like. It's inelegant, but then there's something funny and kind of relatable about it. You know, haven't we all tried to make a profound point while delivering an inelegant analogy? I feel like I'm almost getting there myself.

[Alison Stewart]

Let's take a call.

[WNYC Host]

This is Kayleigh calling in from Connecticut. Hi, Kayleigh, thanks for calling all of it.

[Kayleigh (Caller)]

Hi. I am honestly a little nervous to be speaking. But really my question comment is just, I'm. I'm young. I'm a 24 year old. I feel like I'm pretty with it. I do have background in political economy. I guess my comment or question is like, why are we not talking about this potential leader honestly in a better light or like even a more articulate way? I feel like this kind of terminology and obviously with memeification, you kind of have to get it, you know, you kind of have to be in on the club. But this just seems like something that a lot of people might miss the mark on in terms of understanding. I mean, even just listening to kind of this bit, I really can't like pinpoint, I guess more like beyond what does this mean? But like, how can we do better in describing this potential leader so more people can understand her maybe values or positions, things like this. Because brat, like, honestly, like, what is that even? What is that even showing to us?

[WNYC Host]

Kaylie, thank you for your comment.

[Alison Stewart]

I mean, that's a big issue.

[WNYC Host]

Are Internet users laughing at Vice President Harris? Are they laughing with Vice President Harris? Can you tell the difference?

[Shirley Lee]

I mean, that's a really great question. All of those questions just presented as, you know, during that, during that call, I was nodding my head the whole time because that is the issue. I'll say this, I think in as far as defining her agenda, her platform, what she cares about, what she'll be like as a leader, that needs to come from Kamala herself. This Internet phenomenon is a way to keep her in the conversation online in a really niche way that still has a ripple effect. I mean, that kind of goes to what I was saying earlier about how it's a risky move, target this really niche pop cultural thing and expand on it in a way that will just sound like total gibberish to a lot of people. But I also don't want to say that pop culture is unimportant or that memes are unimportant to a campaign. They will not win a presidential campaign for anybody. But pop culture is a good way to keep someone present. You know, I think here's the thing. When we talk about, you know, whether we should take any element of this seriously, I don't think we should discard any of it. I think this is all a part of the package that we'll receive. But the most important part of the package, obviously, as far as what she'll want to do as a leader about what she cares about, that has to come from Kamala Harris herself. But pop culture Memes personality and, you know, and just this. This grassroots vibe that all that. That all has to be a part of this campaign. It's a. I. I do think. Let me put it this way. I think memes keep someone in the conversation. And what's working for Kamala Hare so far is that right out of the gate, she can seem like she's in on the joke without being aggressive about it or even that political. These memes are just fun, and memeing through it is kind of like partying through, and that's brat. But in the months to come, she'll have to be the one to define who she is as a leader. And again, I think I said this at the top. Once you overdo a meme, the meme is dead. We're getting close to that. So I think this phase of talking about whether she's brat iterating on the coconut tree video, all of that has been fun. But, yeah, it can't be the only thing, and I don't think it will be the only thing.

[Alison Stewart]

You know, Governor Tim Walsh from Minnesota.

[WNYC Host]

Who'S on the short list for vice.

[Alison Stewart]

President, said, you should ignore the TikTok.

[WNYC Host]

Generation at your own peril. Do not ignore this. Why do you think Harris has leaned into it?

[Shirley Lee]

Oh, I mean, I think it goes to what I was saying before, because there is a tremendous ripple effect from what comes up on TikTok. I think. Here's the thing. You ignore the younger generations at your peril. Absolutely. Because they're the ones who often create, you know, generate organically what ends up being talked about. Their fandom may seem, you know, again, like gibberish to older generations, but there's. It means that they're paying attention to something about a candidate, I think. And I'm trying to think of the right way to put this. You know, I'll say this online. After I. You know, after my piece was published and I posted it onto X, I got a lot of reactions that were like, why should I care about this? I don't even know what this means. And those often came with a gif from, you know, shows like the Office. So the language of pop culture, it's there. Do you see the irony in this? Yes. Yes.

[WNYC Host]

Yeah.

[Shirley Lee]

So it's just the language of pop culture is important, and the younger generations tend to define what in pop culture is being paid attention to. And when you figure out what that. How that relates to a candidate, I think you can really, you know, you can really not just gain potential voters. You can kind of gain an understanding of what they're looking for. And so far, the campaign jumping on brat seems to be, you know, Kamala Harris campaign understanding that people kind of like her playful side. So for now, they can play that up a bit.

[WNYC Host]

Let's talk to Michael from Brooklyn. Hi, Michael. Thanks for calling, all of it.

[Michael (Caller)]

Hi, there. I think it's important for us to all realize that, you know, the other side will define Kamala Harris if we don't define her ourselves. Right. In terms of what is put out there, to your caller earlier who talked about, like, let's talk about the seriousness of things, I think it's more important that, you know, it is all cited. I think that, for the most part, the quote that we're talking about here is lost because you're focusing on the coconut tree and not focusing on the message. And I think when a candidate brings something to the table that is from a family member, from a family member who's no longer with us, it actually makes them more personal. It makes them more appeal. There's more appeal there, and we don't get that from the other side. So I'm all for making her likable. I know that in my perspective, she is likable, and I'm excited for what she brings to the table.

[WNYC Host]

Hi, Michael. Thank you so much for calling. We do appreciate it. You know, I'm gonna ask you about J.D. vance on the other side. He is the youngest person in the race at 39. Have we seen any movement on his side in terms of the mimification of J.D.

[Shirley Lee]

Vance? Oh, boy.

[WNYC Host]

He's right in the target.

[Alison Stewart]

I mean, come on.

[Shirley Lee]

Right? There have definitely been memes. You know, there has been a memeification of J.D. vance, but definitely not in the same way. There have been maybe. How do I characterize this? Unfortunate memes dredging up, you know, rumors about him.

[Alison Stewart]

Oh, my. Okay.

[Shirley Lee]

Yes.

[Kayleigh (Caller)]

Yeah.

[Shirley Lee]

Allison, I don't know what you've seen. Yes.

[Alison Stewart]

Yeah, we've all seen it. Okay.

[Shirley Lee]

Okay, great. You know, regarding furniture. But there have also been, you know, in a similar vein, which goes to what your caller is saying, there's. There. There have also been videos I've seen that have circulated of him being just a little bit awkward about saying that, you know, that he drinks Diet Mountain Dew or, you know, other. Other things that he's done on the campaign trail already that I think people online find humorous. Now, what's fascinating is that, you know, I think when you look at those memes, compared to the Kamala Harris memes, those memes are more Vance Centric. I feel like the Kamala Harris ones have really been iterated on by, you know, being mashed together with things like brat. And again, it's so hard to explain the X factor of what makes a meme funny instead of insulting. But I think you can kind of observe the difference there. When it comes to JD Vance, it seems like people are laughing at him. When it comes to Kamala Harris, it kind of seems like people are laughing with her. That said, I mean, here's the thing that that's not 100% for everybody online, but there is a fine line there.

[Alison Stewart]

Shirley Lee from the Atlantic about the.

[WNYC Host]

Mummification of President Kamala Harris.

[Alison Stewart]

Thanks so much.

[Shirley Lee]

Thank you.

[Alison Stewart]

Let's go out on Charli xcx. Why not?

[Charli XCX]

I'mma put you on, nephew.

[Shirley Lee]

I don't.

[McDonald's Employee]

Welcome to McDonald's.

[Shirley Lee]

Can I take your order, miss?

[Charli XCX]

I've been hitting up McDonald's for years. Now it's back. We need snack wraps. What's a snack wrap? It's the return of something great. Snack wrap is back.

[Geico Advertiser]

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