The brat-ification of Kamala Harris' campaign reminds me of the energy we saw in Hillary Clinton’s campaign for the 2016 presidential election. Look how that turned out.
Sara PequeñoUSA TODAY
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I knew the energy of the 2024 election was shifting weeks ago while scrolling X, formerly Twitter.
On July 3, I saw a fancam of Vice President Kamala Harris set to “The von dutch remix with addison rae and a.g. cook” posted by user @ryanlong03. Since then, it has become impossible to untangle the rise of Harris from the release of the album “BRAT” by Charli XCX.
It's the kind of grassroots enthusiasm Gen Z progressives had hoped for with Harris at the helm. Since I first saw that video, the "chronically online" content has yet to peter off.
The lime green shade of the album cover has haunted memes and videos about Harris, even leading the official campaign X account to use a brat-ified version header that reads “kamala hq.” Charli XCX has weighed in on the trend, declaring that “kamala IS brat” to her social media followers. Older folks may not know who she is, but that endorsem*nt results in a priceless amount of engagement for Harris’ campaign.
The phenomenon has even led to conversations among pundits about what “brat” even means.
“I think you aspire to be ‘brat,’ ” Kaitlan Collins told Jake Tapper on a CNN panel this week. “You don’t just become ‘brat.’ ”
Collins is right – being a brat is no longer an insult for the badly behaved. Instead, it is something to be celebrated. But what does being a brat mean? Here's a quick guide for the boomers in the room.
Kamala Harris having her 'brat' moment shows the energy she can bring to young voters
Take it from someone who has listened to Charli XCX for a decade: “Brat” means more than being badly behaved. “Brat summer,” to me, is about having fun in spite of the constant reminders that we’re living through unprecedented times. The album is also an ode to the complexities of being a woman.
From celebrating women like model and actress Julia Fox to “working it out on the remix” with pop sensation Lorde, Charli’s album rollout has celebrated women and their complicated stories. She explores grief, potential motherhood and her relationship to fame in her lyrics with stark honesty and infectious techno beats. The album’s influence on culture is already palpable, especially now that it has become part of the official Harris campaign.
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The album is more complex than just being good pop music. In a way, it mirrors the moment Harris is having: It's not perfect, but it's good. It's a little cringey, but it's fun to see everyone so excited about politics.
I’m still not sure about nominees hopping on social media trends, like when President Joe Biden’s campaign was making jokes on TikTok. My album of the year is being co-opted by a political class seemingly unaware that the album’s final song is about doing cocaine in a party bathroom. It's a strange thing to witness.
Mostly, however, I’m worried that this energy we’re seeing will fade, and I hope Gen Z progressives realize it's our job to make sure that doesn't happen.
We saw this before with Hillary Clinton – and we all know how that ended
The brat-ification of the Harris campaign reminds me of the energy we saw in Hillary Clinton’s campaign for the 2016 presidential election. She made a guest appearance on “Broad City” television series. Madonna called her a “GIRL GONE WILD” while sharing a video of the two of them as cartoons. She made now-infamous pop culture references to "Hamilton" and Pokémon Go on the campaign trail. All of these things have been mocked online.
It also reminds me of how that campaign fizzled out, how misogyny underscored the discourse then and how the two combined to create the rise of Donald Trump. It proved that no amount of celebrity publicity can win an election, especially when the Electoral College is still a thing.
Now, young voters need to make sure that Harris reaches the White House. Hopefully, the memes are more helpful than hurtful to her campaign.
Gen Z wanted Biden gone. Now we have to prove this is the best way to beat Trump.
Harris is already seeing the kind of attacks you would expect
Since becoming the Democratic presumptive nominee this week, Harris has been subjected to racist and misogynist attacks thinly veiled as critiques.
She has been subjected to birtherism claims over her eligibility, comments on her childlessness (despite being the stepmother of two) and insinuations that she slept her way into power.
A New York Post writer called her the first potential “DEI president.” Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance claimed she shouldn’t be president because she isn’t “grateful.” Trump has even mocked her laugh.
These attacks and allegations would not be weaponized against a man.
In that way, "BRAT" is a perfect album for the Harris campaign. It is an album all about rejecting the naysayers and embracing being an "it girl."
The novelty of the album might be wearing off, and Harris' campaign won't stand by it forever. In the end, however, we will always remember the summer that Harris became a front-runner, "BRAT" became an international hit ‒ and the two collided to create the weirdest political campaign in our lifetime.
Follow USA TODAY elections columnist Sara Pequeño on X, formerly Twitter, @sara__pequeno
