After Joe Biden withdrew from the presidential race, social media quickly went abuzz with flattering, lighthearted, viral clips of Kamala Harris from her discussing a recipe between filming, to her dancing in the street — and of course, her infamous “coconut tree” segment.
Around that time, British pop star Charlie XCX tweeted “Kamala IS brat,” in reference to the singer's most recent album release and the social media phenomenon that has accompanied it, giving Harris a huge boost in positive coverage — especially among Gen Z. The tweet was so significant that the campaign used the album's iconography for some of their branding and signature graphics.
Since she became the presumptive Democratic nominee, multiple Tik Tok trends and dances have appeared in support of her.
CNN commentator Van Jones pointed to her positive reception online as evidence of a genuine change in reception. He stated “She's gone from cringe to cool in 24 hours as a whole generation has taken all the content and remixed it in all these incredible TikTok videos. This is not a campaign, this a movement.”
While Democrats claim this is evidence of organic enthusiasm around their candidate, influencers claim that what appears to be overwhelming support for Kamala online isn't inauthentic, and on the contrary, was bought and paid for by her campaign and Democratic committees.
Steve McGrew shared an email from LaunchViral on X (formerly known as Twitter), detailing what the campaign was demanding from creators and paying them for.
The email states “We're excited to offer you a collaboration opportunity with Kamala Harris 2024 Presidential Campaign,” and emphasized that it is a “PAID POST COLLAB OPPORTUNITY” offering a $150 cash bonus.
The email then goes on to lay out the expectations for selected applicants.
“If selected, WE'RE ASKING YOU TO…
- Post one [or] more memes ONLY using our pre-approved assets (feel free to add your own spin or commentary) on your TikTok — IG, too, would be awesome
- Tag and @mention ‘@kamalaharris' and ‘#kamalaharris #harris2024'
- Encourage your fans to share, like and follow Kamala”
The application link has been taken down since the email was made public.
A gay 22 year old content creator was approached by Palette MGMT on behalf of Future Forward (the single largest operating Democratic Super PAC) and offered $1500 to create a man-on-the-street style anti-Trump video with the goal of portraying the former President as a bigot. The message specified that the video “could not show any form of support for Donald Trump and his allies,” or feature any of Trump's “funny” moments “without providing context.”
Since Joe Biden's withdrawal from the presidential race, Future Forward has reportedly raised a whopping $150 million from donors.
Tik Tok users have reported the algorithm pushing pro-Kamala content and leading many to believe the Chinese Communist Party wants her to win, raising valid concerns about her relationship with China and foreign election meddling.
The Harris campaign has also recently come under fire for using AI to make crowds look more impressive than they actually are, creating further doubt around the authenticity of her online support.
