On any given day, reporters get dozens or even hundreds of press releases from politicians, celebrities, organizations, companies and other public figures and institutions. Most of them are extremely forgettable.
But on Thursday morning, when Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign sent reporters an email with the subject line: “Statement on a 78-Year-Old Criminal’s Fox News Appearance,” it was such a contrast from the usual stream of dry and generic emails that inundate our inboxes that it didn’t even seem real at first.
“After watching Fox News this morning we only have one question, is Donald Trump ok?” the press release began, before laying out a bulleted list of “takeaways” from the former president’s appearance Thursday on his favorite program “Fox & Friends,” where he often goes on rants and makes baseless claims.
Among the Harris campaign’s list of bullet points: “Trump is old and quite weird?” Naturally, that line quickly got the internet’s attention.
A screenshot of a press release sent to reporters by Kamala Harris' presidential campaign Thursday, titled: "Statement on a 78-Year-Old Criminal’s Fox News Appearance"
Hours later, the campaign sent another press release with a similarly saucy subject line: “Happy World IVF Day To Everyone Except JD Vance,” referring to the GOP vice presidential nominee’s resurfaced comments criticizing “childless cat ladies.” This week, many people — including celebrities like Jennifer Aniston — have pointed out how Vance’s remarks are disrespectful to people who have struggled with infertility, and how they are especially galling as Republicans try to restrict access to IVF, as part of their continued efforts to gut reproductive rights.
It’s hard to imagine any other major party presidential campaign in recent history sending out that set of press releases. Their finely calibrated balance of clarity and concision, combined with a bit of humor and snark, illustrate a particular strength and a refreshing shift from Harris and her campaign so far. They’ve embraced the casual and succinct language of the internet, meeting people where they are, and recognizing that it’s possible to be both serious and fun at the same time.
In the days since President Joe Biden bowed to pressure and dropped out of the 2024 race, making Harris the presumptive Democratic nominee, there has already been a lot of attention on the Harris campaign’s embrace of memes and internet culture . But those “coconut tree” and “brat” memes are only part of the story. Alongside the memes, there’s also something energizing and invigorating about the way Harris and her campaign have employed language, speaking plainly and in a way that people actually want to hear. It cuts through the noise and makes people pay attention.
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks to the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Grand Boule at the Indiana Convention Center on July 24 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Crucially, it feels authentic, which previous Democratic politicians have not successfully mastered. During the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton and her campaign made several notoriously cringey attempts at appealing to young voters on the internet, like posting a video of her saying: “ I’m just chillin’ in Cedar Rapids ,” or urging people to “ Pokémon Go to the polls. ” (Oof.)
With many politicians, these attempts to be internet-savvy reek of desperation and come off as too “how do you do, fellow kids?” By contrast, with Harris and her campaign, it hasn’t yet felt stiff, manufactured or out of touch. The use of direct and relatable language, mirroring the way people talk on the internet, as well as the way she seems to be in on the joke, appear to be a natural extension of her personality.
All of it has made Republicans’ attempts to smear her character backfire spectacularly. Instead of serving their intended purpose of mocking Harris, they’ve accomplished the complete opposite. One clip that has been making the rounds on Twitter this week features the vice president at an event in May commemorating Asian Pacific American Heritage Month , moderated by comedian Jimmy O. Yang.
“We have to know that sometimes, people will open the door for you and leave it open. Sometimes, they won’t,” Harris says in the clip. “And then you need to kick that fucking door down.”
“Excuse my language,” she adds, laughing while the audience roars with applause, and Yang pumps his fist in approval.
In May, a Twitter account run by the Republican National Committee posted the clip , presumably to argue Harris dropping an f-bomb and laughing about it makes her undignified for the office of the presidency. (Never mind the fact that their guy bragged about grabbing women “by the pussy,” among a litany of unsavory comments he has made over the years.)
But looking at the reactions to the clip of Harris , the RNC probably did not get the response they were hoping for. A sampling of some recent quote tweets of the clip: “The way the RNC doesn’t even realize they’re posting pro-Harris material,” “This account should be on the Harris campaign payroll,” and “Is this account trying to make her look cool? Because it’s working.”
Harris and her campaign have also managed to walk the fine line between being fun while not diminishing what’s at stake this year. Those snarky press releases are also about serious issues: the contrast between her and the Trump-Vance ticket and the gravity of the election. It has been a rough few years. We can be both serious and humorous — and maybe even a little ridiculous — at the same time.
Time will tell if Harris and her campaign’s refreshing approach to language will move the needle significantly, like helping her reach undecided voters or motivate voters who were planning to sit out the election had Biden remained on the ticket. For now, it might just be noticeable to those of us who are terminally online. But alongside the palpable excitement and energy of Harris’ campaign and the historic nature of her candidacy, it’s nice to feel pleasantly surprised by politics again — and to be able to have some fun with it.
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