The ‘Kamala is Brat’ TikTok trend, among other viral Kamala Harris meme videos, are likely an astroturfed effort by the Harris campaign and her allies to manufacture appeal to young voters, several Gen-Z online content creators told the Caller.

Almost immediately after Harris became the presumptive Democratic nominee, old clips of her speaking spread online like wildfire, often adapted into memes meant to make Harris look cool or humorous. Democrats proclaimed that the videos were evidence of organic excitement about Harris, but some content creators claim they were solicited to post about Harris in exchange for money, while others say the effort looks astroturfed as opposed to being grassroots.

One comedian, Steve McGrew, shared an email online which purportedly shows an offer to post positive videos about Harris in exchange for money. The requirements include to “encourage your fans to share, like, and follow Kamala, post one or more memes, post your content on TikTok, Instagram, or both” and requires the Harris campaign be mentioned in hashtags, according to the screenshot of an email from a company called “LaunchViral.” A $150 cash bonus incentive is also offered on a signup webpage.

“We’re excited to offer you a collaboration opportunity with Kamala Harris 2024 Presidential Campaign,” the advertisement email states. The application link within the email has since been deactivated following online backlash.

They trying to get ME to be a paid shill for Kamala. GFYS! But let this be a lesson… they are PAYING people to pretend to support KumSwalla pic.twitter.com/kokPoAHvyK

— Steve Mudflap McGrew’s REMASCULATE podcast (@REMASCULATE) July 28, 2024

Lighthearted Harris videos poking fun at her coconut tree anecdote, or “Kamala IS brat” videos, a reference to British Pop Singer Charlie XCX’s new album “brat,” are just another way for Democrats to create a visage of support for their candidate through manipulating social media trends, some content creators told the Caller.

Democrats are “doing all this dystopian shit” to influence the election, according to Chrissy Clark, a Gen-Z conservative commentator who previously worked for the Daily Caller. The Democratic National Committee (DNC) has an “influencer dark network” that is behind these viral videos, she said, adding that it will likely become louder.

Promoting online trends are necessary to build up Kamala’s image and rebrand her as “cool and approachable”, according to Clark. The memes are attempts to drown out the voices of other creators stating they won’t vote for her just because “she’s a woman, or because she is black”, Clark told The Daily Caller.

These meme videos are becoming viral because younger generations interact with them thinking “she is easy to make fun of,” according to social media influencer Savannah Fuhr.

“She hasn’t done a good job of representing the people,” Fuhr told The Daily Caller. “Gen Z is looking for a leader” who will promote policies that drive Americans out of the financial crisis, she added. Although young generations laugh at these videos, it’s not enough to convince them “to actually vote for her”, Fuhr said. 

The Gen-Z voting bloc has increased significantly since the last presidential election, totaling roughly 41 million people eligible to vote in 2024, according to Tuft’s CIRCLE. TikTok, a predominantly Gen-Z platform, is currently filled with videos of Kamala Harris laughing, dancing, and making jokes.

In addition to the potentially paid online content, the Harris campaign is incorporating meme videos into their campaign strategy and embracing the “Kamala IS brat” trend by changing the campaign’s X cover photo to match the lime green style of the Brat album cover.

The trends are creating a feedback loop where mainstream media covers the surge in posts as a sign of organic support for Harris. “She’s gone from cringe to cool”, CNN commentator Van Jones stated. “A whole generation has taken all the content and remixed it in all these incredible TikTok videos.” 

The DNC has previously paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to a media company representing young TikTok influencers, the Daily Caller previously reported. Chris Mowrey and fellow influencer Harry Sisson gained a large following creating pro-Biden videos on Twitter and TikTok while working with Palette, a talent management agency the DNC paid $210,000 in the 2022 election cycle.

Mowrey spoke about the power Gen-Z holds in politics through social media influencing in a video published by CNN. In June, he was spotted wearing a “Biden Campaign Employee” lanyard after the CNN-hosted presidential debate that ultimately doomed Biden’s reelection bid.

As Kamala’s presidential campaign becomes fully operational, Kamala HQ will most likely capitalize on the extensive network the “DNC uses to pay left wing creators,” Clark alleged.

AUTHOR

Brandy Perez

Contributor.

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