'kamala IS brat': what that term means and its influence on Gen Z voters

If you have a TikTok or have an account on X you've probably seen the Kamala Harris 'coconut tree' and 'brat' memes. If not we have plenty of examples, just watch the video listed above.

But what do these viral videos mean for the Vice President's campaign and how are they swinging young voters in her favor?

The videos are in reference to British pop star Charli XCX's album 'brat'. The musician even posted 'Kamala IS 'brat' on X.

Someone who is brat is honest, prioritizes individuality and fun.

Gen Z activist Drew Spiegel, whose part of 'The Tour to Save Democracy' , says the vice president embodies these qualities and believes that's why so many young people are creating these videos.

"People are so excited about Vice President Kamala Harris and we are going to see what I believe to be a massive, massive Gen Z turnout. So I'm essentially, I'm really excited about Kamala," said Spiegel.

Being 'brat' isn't the only term gaining traction coconut tree, existing in the context and KHive are also being popularized among Gen Z.

Coconut tree and existing in the context are in reference to a speech Vice President Harris's gave on May 10, 2023.

KHive, is similar to Beyonce's BHive. It's the group name for her supporters.

KMTV wanted to see if older generations knew these sayings, so neighborhood reporter Hannah McIlree headed to the Gene Leahy Mall.

"I definitely haven't heard of K Hive," said the first person KMTV asked.

Being brat, do you know what that means?

"You're making me feel really old I've never heard on that," said one Omaha resident.

You live in the context have you heard of that?

"Yeah yeah you didn't just fall out of a a coconut," said another person.

UNO professor Randall Adkins says it's building momentum with young voters.

"I think what we're seeing in this particular election cycle with Harris is we're seeing sort of a grassroots kind of social media that's occurring particularly among young people, particularly among, African Americans and women who are all more inclined to support her candidacy," said Adkins.

Her support was evident after her campaign raised 81 million dollars in 24 hours, the most donations of any candidate in the amount of time. However this use of social media is not unique to just Harris, Adkins says it's been utilized for decades.

"In the early two thousands, we saw first Howard Dean and later Barack Obama have success with social media, starting with things like meet up and Facebook.

But really their greatest success was actually their ability to raise money through the internet," said Adkins.

Adkins says what’s crucial for the Harris campaign is harnessing the power of the social media momentum and turning it into votes in November whether they can do that is yet to be seen.