Pop culture has baffled politicians for decades, but this week some tried to get in on the fun by calling Vice President Kamala Harris a “brat.”
This week, they launched memes of bright green squares, and when Biden’s headquarters became “Kamala’s headquarters,” a witty and presumably younger member of his staff added the recognizable “brat” logo to her page.
“Kamala is a brat,” pop artist and “brat” founder Charli XCX insisted on social media in her new album of the same name. Her post on X has been viewed more than 50 million times.
The term is associated with being messy, carefree, and paying little attention to the opinions of others.
“It’s just, I don’t know, being yourself, having a good time, being a little silly,” Florida Democratic Rep. Jared Moskowitz said of the term.
Moskowitz is not a “spoiled brat,” she told DailyMail.com. “I’m not a child.”
‘I guess a guy could have a brat summer, my wife would ask me questions if I said, ‘Hey, honey, I’m having a brat summer.’
British singer Charli (left), 31, posted a tweet calling the vice president (right) a “brat” after Joe Biden endorsed her as the Democratic presidential candidate and dropped out of the race.
And for young, meme-driven Democrats, linking the word “brat” to the vice president appears to be a response to Republican criticism of her — her raucous laughter, the way she sometimes talks in circles and inserts odd references.
“I’m all for any meme that helps us get younger voters out to vote,” said Rep. Gerry Connolly, a 74-year-old Democrat from Virginia who didn’t seem entirely sure what the term meant.
“He would say to us, ‘I don’t know what’s wrong with you young people. Do you think you fell out of a coconut tree?’” Harris recalled in 2023 at a White House ceremony. “You exist in the context of everything around you and everything that came before you.”
“They’re actually making fun of her by laughing,” Moskowitz said of the new Democratic presidential nominee. “I mean, it’s like she’s just being herself. What’s wrong with that?”
‘Their criticism of Hillary was, ‘Oh, she’s too robotic.’ They want to criticize[Clinton]because she was trying not to be herself, because women are judged by so many different standards. And now Kamala is being herself and they’re like, ‘No, no, no. Don’t do that. You know, pretend.’
Not all Republicans adopted the term.
“I have no idea what that is. I would hope that someone who wants to be the leader of the free world would want to be more substantial than that,” Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., told DailyMail.com when asked if Harris is a spoiled brat.
Rep. Becca Balint, who has called herself Vermont’s “feisty little lesbian,” told DailyMail.com of Harris and her “brat”: “What I find so interesting is that she’s able to capture this feeling that’s been repressed for years and it’s a representation of this next generation that’s saying, we can be our full selves, we can be, you know, we don’t have to be perfect. We just have to be our full selves every day. And I think she embodies that.”
The pop star’s tweet quickly went viral and caught the attention of Kamala, 59, who then got involved and revised her campaign to include a reference to Charli’s new album.
“I can’t tell you how excited my young constituents are,” Balint said. “I can’t tell you what we’re hearing over the phone and in text messages, and they feel like this is a person who is able to embody what we call the way we’re all trying to live our lives.”
Rep. Maxwell Frost, a 27-year-old Florida Democrat, said “brat” isn’t for everyone.
“What I’m saying is that you just have to listen to the music. You know? And if you don’t understand after listening to the album, that’s okay. It’s not for everyone.”
“What this means is that a lot of young people who were heading to the polls quietly have woken up and are on their side,” Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., told DailyMail.com. “And it’s not just going to be a brat summer, it’s going to be a brat election.”
And not all lawmakers are aware of the hot new movement on the Internet.
Pop culture has baffled politicians for decades, but this week some tried to get in on the fun by calling Vice President Kamala Harris a “brat.”
“I have to go home during recess and talk to my kids and make sure I really understand it before I make any comments on it,” said New York Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman.
“I’m learning what that means,” Democratic Leader Katherine Clark, D-Mass., told DailyMail.com about “Brat.” “I’m thinking about getting something neon green.”
“I’ll have to ask my daughter,” said Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., who said his children had taught him what “sus” means.
Even Republican Rep. Mark Alford claimed to be a brat.
In a video posted on X, he asked his staff members what that term meant. “Brat summer is a service, sir,” said one. “If you’re a brat, you’re a brat,” said another.
The video showed a definition: “someone who is honest, prioritizes individuality, and is funny.” Synonyms: Mark Alford.
“I think it’s cool for people of all ages to understand it or be confused by it or be embarrassed by it and try to be a part of it. I think that’s great,” said Rep. Greg Casar, D-Texas. “I don’t think all of our politics has to be so doom and gloom. I think that’s great for people.”
Since Charli XCX shared her post about Kamala, her fans began posting edits that show a montage of clips of the vice president while one of Charli XCX’s songs plays in the background.
“Am I doing the right thing?” Georgia Republican Rep. Buddy Carter posted on X, along with a signature lime green square with a reference to health care policy scrawled in the middle: “middlemen are driving up the cost of prescription drugs.”
“Of course” Harris is a spoiled brat, said Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., a member of the LGBTQ Caucus.
“The thing about Kamala Harris is that she’ll be able to connect with pop culture, with artists and music, and with people who really believe that they can have an impact on the world. I think that’s what really excites her.”
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