Democratic Congressman Says He Didn’t Understand Charli XCX’s Endorsement of Kamala Harris: ‘I Thought He Was Calling Her a Brat’
Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA) told CNN he was initially confused by pop singer Charli XCX’s endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris and thought fans of the musician were “calling her a brat.”
In recent weeks, and particularly after President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the 2024 race in favor of Harris, fans of Charli XCX began to post memes of the vice president crossed over with Charli XCX’s new album Brat, which, according to NBC News, “touches on womanhood, insecurity, competition, motherhood, relationships, partying and other topics.”
The meme then continued to spread after Charli XCX endorsed Harris on Sunday, tweeting, “kamala IS brat,” in support of the vice president and Democratic presidential candidate.
kamala IS brat
— Charli (@charli_xcx) July 22, 2024
Takano posted his own Brat-themed Harris meme on Monday, but told CNN he was initially confused by the whole trend, which he misinterpreted as an insult towards Harris.
This brat summer makes me want to rewind on the great work of our VP. @KamalaHarris has made history and her leadership is something we all can be proud of. pic.twitter.com/Szc85fop4n
— Mark Takano (@MarkTakano) July 22, 2024
“Did you know who she was before this?” asked CNN anchor Pamela Brown during an interview with Takano on CNN Max’s State of the Race, Monday.
The congressman replied:
I did not know who she was before this. I just saw it on Instagram, a couple of younger people that I have, you know, that are connected to the Instagram, I said, “What is this?” You know, “What is this brat summer?” ‘Cause I thought he was calling her a brat, but it’s not that Kamala Harris is a brat, it’s she is brat, and then I started listening to music and I said, “Oh wow,” so we put out our own meme and I’m ahead of the curve with my colleagues.
According to NBC News, fans of Charli XCX declared a “brat summer” in celebration of the album’s release, “meaning they are embracing being earnest and unapologetically themselves.” Many fans have since incorporated Harris into the celebration, posting videos of the vice president alongside music from the album and captions such as, “im so kamala.”
Watch above via CNN.
