The Kamala Harris 'coconut tree' meme explained | indy100

Kamala Harris blames Trump for Supreme Court overturning of Roe v Wade

US network pool

A new meme has been doing the rounds on X/Twitter and it is all thanks to United States Vice President Kamala Harris.

Now, we haven't had much to say about Harris since she became vice president in 2021 but she might just well leave a legacy thanks to a speech that she gave in May 2023.

Harris was speaking at the (deep breath...) "Swearing-In Ceremony of Commissioners for the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics."

When addressing the future prospects of young people, Harris stressed the importance of context.

She said: "Part of the extension of 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 a silo. Everything is in context.

Continuing she added: "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 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."

The clip was first shared by the pro-Republican YouTube account 'GOP War Room' in an attempt to mock Harris.

Now, according to Know Your Meme the speech resurfaced on X/Twitter in January 2024 with many being amused by the use of the words 'coconut tree' in an apparent attempt to reclaim it from the GOP.

Since then the words 'coconut tree' have been trending. Here are some of the best examples of the meme:

None
— (@)

You think you just FELL out of a COCONUT TREE Jerry? \n\nyou exist in the CONTEXT of all in which you live and what came before you
— (@)

Me knowing I didn\u2019t fall out of a coconut tree and that I exist in the context of all in which I live and what came before me
— (@)

After this, there is no turning back.\n\nYou take the blue pill - the story ends, you wake up under a coconut tree and believe you fell out of it.\n\nYou take the red pill - you stay in in the context of all in which you live, and I show you what came before..
— (@)

What\u2019s the IQ of these people Marty? How many of \u2018em think they just fell out of a coconut tree? How many of them don\u2019t even understand that we exist in the context of all in which we live and all that came before us?
— (@)

"Now, I would like to talk about your existence, Tucker."\n\n"Of course. You mean beginning from when I fell out of a coconut tree?"\n\n"No, we will begin with the context, of all in which you live and what came before you."
— (@)

\u201cyou think that\u2019s a coconut tree you fell out of?\u201d
— (@)

Inside you are two wolves: one that just fell out of a coconut tree and one exists in the context of all in which you live and what came before you.
— (@)

ohh I see\u2026 you think you just.. fell out of a coconut tree?
— (@)

\u201cYou think you just fell out of a coconut tree?\u201d
— (@)

"I fell out of a coconut tree, Dr Han! I fell out of a coconut tree!"\n\n"You exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you."
— (@)

In another life, I would have liked just falling out of a coconut tree with you
— (@)

Sign up for our free indy100 weekly newsletter

How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings