Is Harris or Trump brat?
The banner of Kamala Harris' official X account, references the album cover of Charli XCX's album cover for brat.
Written by Anvi Sharma & Emilia Kim
Kamala is brat. The phrase seems odd and out-of-context without any previous knowledge found on TikTok. Referring to the June release of popstar Charli XCX’s album titled “brat.”, the word describes Kamala Harris’ quirkiness and unapologetic boldness. Harris, the Democratic candidate for the 2024 presidential elections, never found popularity amongst voters until recently, boasting a 44.9% approval rate on September 18th compared to the feeble 37.5% on January 18th of this year. Her rise is often attributed to her sudden and sharp contrast to her opponent, former President and Republican candidate Donald Trump, who reflects as much older, yet less coherent than Harris.
Harris’s campaign based on freedom and hope, with the slogan “not going back,” seems to resonate with voters who are adamant about not returning to Donald Trump’s pre-civil war era reforms. Raising over 500 million dollars in August alone, Harris seems unstoppable. Her campaign is utilizing social media like no other seen before. The account, named “kamalahq,” appeals to young Gen-Z voters. Audios of trendy songs and iconic phrases, including the “brat” trend, ignite the energy within voters, viewing the campaign as relatable.
Paired with the recent mess of Trump’s publicity events, Harris’ campaign seems to be as popular as ever. At his July appearance at the National Association of Black Journalists, Trump’s response to hard-hitting questions about the false insistences of Barack Obama’s nationality and calling Black journalists losers was a torrent of barely-connected ideas, deviating from the topic and continuously complaining about the supposed “false pretenses” he was brought to the convention under and the “very rude” interviewers. Instead of reflecting as a candidate who works for voters of all races and ethnicities, he looked like a wildly incoherent person, even claiming that Kamala Harris suddenly “became Black.” These statements spread like wildfire, with media outlets, particularly on TikTok, supporting the notion that Trump is old-fashioned and prejudiced. Content creators such as Courier and Brian Tyler Cohen worked overtime to disprove any false claims made by the former president. Additionally, Harris doesn’t seem to be affected by Trump’s desperate attacks on TruthSocial, the far-right, conservative platform that is often used by MAGA supporters, reassuring Americans of her ability to remain stable and professional on an international stage.
The Trump campaign also leans into masculine, negative posts – boasting about Trump’s supposed love for the working class and the wealthy alike. However, the social media accounts permeate Andrew Tate-esque messages, an era most young voters certainly aren’t nostalgic about. The attempt to keep pace with kamalahq is certainly there, yet lackluster. The former president seems to be knocking down any progress the social media accounts seem to be making, demolishing the credibility with his constant flow of lies. Additionally, news media like CNN and MSNBC consistently criticize Trump on TikTok, further implementing the idea that the Republican party will move the country backward, not forward. Parodies of right-wing creators such as DateRightStuff plague the conservative platform with videos that expose their obvious hypocrisy, further damaging their election progress.
Kamala’s empowering messages of freedom appeal to voters of all demographics and ideals, returning the United States to the pedestal it once was on. Donald Trump seems to be hitting roadblocks and obstacles, his own worst enemy, something he never encountered as a fresh face during the 2016 race. Hillary Clinton opened Americans' eyes to the possibility of a woman as president two elections ago. Now, Kamala Harris is pushing Americans to realize the very foundational values America was founded upon: liberty and dignity.
