Kamala Harris' Coconut Tree Meme, Explained

Kamala Harris' coconut tree quote has gone viral yet again.

The snippet, from a speech she delivered in May 2023, was her recalling an adage she frequently heard from her mother. After President Joe Biden announced he was withdrawing from his 2024 re-election campaign against former president Donald Trump, coconut tree memes took over social media, with many even saying they were "#coconutpilled" and "#coconuttreepilled."

What does the coconut tree anecdote actually mean? If you're still stumped, fret not and read on.

Related: The Best Kamala Harris Quotes

What did Kamala Harris say about coconut trees?

In a May 2023 speech to swear in new members of the President’s Advisory Commission on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics, Harris shared an anecdote about a phrase her mother used when she was growing up.

"None of us just live in a silo. Everything is in context," Harris said. "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."

While on its face it seems silly, it actually made a lot of sense in—wait for it!—context.

Harris was speaking about the importance of context in delivering equity in education. She explained in part, "It's not just simply about financial resources; that is a very big part of it. But it’s also about: What is the culture of the environment? How are we approaching this issue in a way that we also understand we cannot support and help our young people if we  don't also look at the context in which those young people live and are being raised? Which means necessarily, because our edict and our mission is not to come out and say, 'Well, we could do this better.'"

Related: Who Are Kamala Harris' Parents?

What is the Kamala coconut tree?

Over a year after she made the infamous "coconut tree" remark, Harris' comment began trending after Biden's debate against Trump in June 2024, and only grew in popularity after Biden's withdrawal from the 2024 race. The quote was about context in all of our lives, and it made quite a bit of sense in its own full context. Several coconut tree memes even mentioned that!

The Best Kamala Harris Coconut Tree Memes

Pop Culture Kamala Harris Coconut Tree Memes

Fans edited the coconut comment into remixes of Charli XCX's "Von Dutch" (plus a meme featuring lines from the singer, Harris and Karl Marx) and Britney Spears' "Gimme More," among other pop moments:

There was a Pokémon coconut tree meme:

Meryl Streep's immortal Miranda Priestley of The Devil Wears Prada made a coconut tree cameo, with one user captioning a still of the character with, "Did you fall out of the coconut tree and smack your little head on the context of all in which you live and what came before you?" It's the new cerulean, ladies and gentlemen.

Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) of Sex and the City and And Just Like That... wrote in an imaginary editorial, "and so, the brat girl summer turned back into a joever fall. and i couldn’t help but wonder…did we all just fall out of a coconut tree?"

A Chappell Roan reference? We love to see it:

The White House, which went fully pink in Barbie, got more poignant:

Related: The Deeper Meaning Behind Kamala Harris' Inauguration Outfit

Political Kamala Harris Coconut Tree Memes

Other coconut tree memes placed the quote into historical and sociopolitical contexts, including one tweet that referenced Trump's prior donations to Harris' attorney general campaign and visions of a Harris debate against Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance:

Jared Polis, Democratic governor of Colorado, almost immediately tweeted coconut tree emojis after the announcement of Biden's resignation from the race. He followed with another coconut tree-themed caption on a photo with Harris.

J.B. Pritzker, who's been floated as a potential vice presidential candidate for Harris, replied to speculation using the coconut quote.

Others pointed out that one of the most flattering photos ever taken of a young Biden featured the very vegetation in Harris' viral quote:

Hawaii Sen. Brian Schatz posted a photo of himself readying a coconut:

Users also made an interview snippet of transporation secretary Pete Buttigieg go viral using the coconut tree quote:

"Coconut Nation" became a quasi-new "Dark Brandon":

Progressive activist and Majority Report co-host Emma Vigeland posted a photo of a joyous Nicole Kidman after her divorce from Tom Cruise to convey her newfound joy:

Next, All the Ways Kamala Harris Made History as Vice President (So Far)