Staff Reports
Vice President Kamala Harris took the stage in Prince George County, Maryland, offering her latest attempt at humor while addressing a audience of younger students. This time, however, her self-referential quip seemed to fly right over the heads of many in attendance. It’s almost as if humor isn’t on the curriculum at today’s education institutions.
In her motivational speech, Harris urged students to fight for the “promise of America” and to remain steadfast in their purpose. But it was the sly callback to her previous speech about “the context in which you exist” that prompted her trademark chuckling. Despite her infectious laughter, it was clear that very few shared her amusement. While Harris found her own words hilarious, many puzzled students remained relatively stone-faced, perhaps left wondering whether they should have Googled the reference before attending.
“Yeah I did that” after making a context in which you exist reference, oh the vice president got jokes pic.twitter.com/PbGf5QC31e
— kamala shadow presidency (@KAMALANOMENONN) December 17, 2024
The joke harkened back to a cringe-inducing moment from a May 2023 speech where she recounted her mother’s teasing about today’s youth being out of touch. The vice president had quoted her mother—an immigrant from India—who made a jest about young people “falling out of a coconut tree.” The throwback elicited a few chuckles, but Harris continued to be her own biggest fan, laughing at her wit while the audience seemed to collectively miss the punchline.
As for the numbers, evidence suggests Harris might be struggling to woo younger voters. Unlike President Biden’s historic win among this demographic in 2020, the latest polling shows a startling shift in favor of Republicans, especially under the influence of Trump. Young men preferred Trump by a margin of 56 to 42 percent, and young women aren’t far behind, increasing their support for the former president from 33 to 40 percent compared to 2020.
Harris’s jokes, it appears, aren’t just falling on deaf ears; they may even be working against her. The awkward laughter coupled with her inability to connect has led to a significant dip in her appeal across various demographics. Her humor often seems misfired, lacking the resonance required to engage the younger electorate in an era where relatability is key.
So, the question remains: Is Harris out of touch, or is she just underestimating the intelligence of her crowd? Either way, if this is the best she can do to engage with America’s youth, Republicans can take comfort in the knowledge that at least one marginalized coconut tree remains safe from troublesome politics.
