Following the widespread popularity of the “coconut tree” quote, which paid homage to Democratic nominee Kamala Harris’ South Asian heritage, a new viral meme has surfaced to take its place.
A post which reads, “Kamala means LOTUS in Sanskrit, POTUS in America,” on X has received over 4 million views and 58,000 likes. The viral meme has also birthed the catchphrase “LOTUS for POTUS” which is now a popular hashtag on the platform.
Drawing on the Sanskrit meaning of Harris's first name, Kamala, which translates to "lotus”, the new lotus-themed memes, are rapidly gaining traction in the Indian-American community with many including Supreme court lawyer Neal Katyal and NY State Assemblywoman and Civil Rights Lawyer Jenifer Rajkumar expressing their approval and amusement for it.
Love it. https://t.co/X37xpuYtSj
— Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar (@JeniferRajkumar) July 23, 2024
Yassssssss to all my Indian aunties and uncles floating this meme around on WhatsApp https://t.co/86lSxN3JIg
— Nisha Patel, MD MS, Dipl of ABOM, CCMS (@DrPlantel) July 24, 2024
That is a lovely slogan. Beautifully iconic and gracefully put. The simple eloquence is quite impactful. As someone who does branding, this is excellent, memorable. I hope the campaign runs with it. https://t.co/0hsA6XW5BB
— Melissa Ulto BLM (@miixxy) July 23, 2024
Out with the
— Mitali (@mmodi93) July 22, 2024
In with the
Harris' campaign has been buoyed by a quote from her late mother, India-born Shyamala Gopalan. Back in May 2023, the vice president gave remarks for the swearing-in ceremony of commissioners for the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics when she recalled her mother saying, “You think you just fell out of a coconut tree.”
Many supporters including some Democratic politicians used the coconut tree reference to endorse Harris after Biden’s decision to drop out. Soon it appears that lotus-themed memes will eventually replace coconut-themed ones.
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