Presidential candidates turn to memes to win voters, risking backlash

WASHINGTON (TND) — The campaigns of former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are embracing memes to attract voters.

The presidential hopefuls are connecting with millions of Americans who use social media. The memes are also a good way for the candidates to shape their narratives.

Harris has benefited from brat summer and coconut memes.

According to Axios and Hootsuite, Harris saw 46 million mentions on social media over 30 days. Trump saw slightly fewer with 34 million mentions.

Trump has benefitted from the viral picture of his fist in the air after last month's assassination attempt, and the video of Hulk Hogan ripping his shirt at the Republican National Convention.

Experts say memes are short-lived and can backfire if they are too forced or inauthentic.

Memes appeal to younger people. A new poll from ABC News shows voters younger than 40 have moved from +2 for President Joe Biden in July to +20 for Harris.

Past Memes

In 2011, a picture of then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in sunglasses looking at her phone was viral. People would share the image with the phrase "texts from Hillary."

In 2009, as President Barack Obama moved into the White House, Bush supporters shared pictures of former President George W. Bush with the caption, "Miss me yet?"

There have also been times when memes did not work.

In 2016, Trump was criticized for sharing a meme of Clinton with what appeared to depict the Star of David. Critics saw it as Antisemitic. Trump later deleted it and insisted the star represented a sheriff’s badge.

Axios reports Biden's "Dark Brandon" memes often fell flat. It's the president's alter ego that has laser beam eyes and is known to get things done.

The bottom line is it's one thing to like a post online; it is another to get someone to vote for you at the polls.

Editor's Note: The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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