You may have heard from social media: Kamala is “brat,” auntie, girlboss! Tim is our “Midwest Princess,” America’s Midwestern dad, real-life Santa Claus! 

Vice President Kamala Harris’ Generation Z-led “Kamala HQ” social media accounts capitalized off of her coconut tree memes and Charli XCX’s “brat” aesthetic, and Gov. Tim Walz’s dad jokes and plain-speaking insults directed to extremist Republicans have gained love from the internet. The Harris-Walz presidential campaign has used accessible messaging from the jump to try appealing to not only young people but also Middle America.

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The campaign is leaning into these Gen Z-friendly memes, reaching out to a demographic with growing voter turnout. To an extent, it’s working. Many young Democrat voters say they’re more enthusiastic about voting for Harris than for President Joe Biden. The energy associated with the campaign is promising — but the “stan culture”-like behavior has concerning implications. 

Their strategies are certainly effective in presenting a stark contrast to former President Donald Trump and Sen. JD Vance’s detachment from middle-class and “small-town” Americans. Bridging the gap between politicians and the constituents they are supposed to serve is a net positive — politicians should be in touch with what voters experience on a day-to-day basis and what they’re most concerned about. 

However, we have to remember that Harris and Walz are still just that: politicians. By meme-ifying presidential candidates and blindly labeling them as our “auntie” or “Midwestern dad,” we run the risk of putting them on a pedestal and overlooking key issues. 

While Charli XCX may have embraced Harris’ campaign by posting that “kamala IS brat” on X, formerly known as Twitter, other artists have rejected associating with the White House because it didn’t align with their political values. Rising singer Chappell Roan — whose album “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” (2023) has been mentioned in reference to Walz’s Nebraska and Minnesota background — revealed at the Governors Ball festival that she turned down an invite to perform at a White House Pride event, saying she would only go once there is “liberty, justice and freedom for all.” 

At the same festival, Roan called for freedom for “all oppressed people in occupied territories,” a timely statement because of the ongoing genocide in Gaza, which has claimed more than 40,000 Palestinian lives since Oct. 7. 

Israel’s siege on Gaza has been a point of contention for the Democratic Party, and Harris and Walz are no exception. As Vice President, Harris met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to call for a ceasefire deal, but hasn’t yet diverged from Biden administration policy, which has sent billions in military aid to Israel. 

Furthermore, Walz allegedly canceled a meeting with Palestinian families who lost relatives in Gaza after hearing that they wanted to discuss divestment and other policy demands. The Democratic National Convention shut down requests from pro-Palestinian delegates to have a Palestinian American speak at the convention despite featuring the family of an Israeli American hostage held by Hamas. 

When Harris was interrupted by pro-Palestinian protesters at a recent rally in Detroit, she shut them down by saying, “If you want Donald Trump to win, then say that. Otherwise, I’m speaking.” 

To reference Vice President Harris herself: “You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?”  You exist in the context of the global and domestic conflicts in which you live in and the tumultuous Trump presidency that came before. We can fight to ensure that a Trump-Vance administration won’t see the light of day, while also holding Harris and Walz to the high standard that we deserve. These two actions are not mutually exclusive. 

Harris not being Trump isn’t by itself a strong enough reason to win votes. The Democratic Party shouldn’t expect to convince people to vote for Harris by pushing the narrative that if you challenge her platform, you “want Donald Trump to win.” Resisting change on key issues like Gaza will only alienate voters who hope to push Harris towards policies they align with.

It’s also up to voters who may be sharing Kamala HQ’s TikToks and tweets to know what exactly they’re publicly supporting. Read up on the official DNC party platform to see where they stand on military, policing, immigration and other issues.

No matter how funny Harris’ laugh is or how endearing Walz’s white dad energy may be, we can’t let the memes distract us from treating them seriously as candidates and holding them accountable for the policies they promise. Don’t settle for less.