IN MEMES | The US presidential race

1. DANCE PARTY WITH BEYONCÉ

While Beyoncé's loyal beyhives command the artist to release music videos for her last two efforts, it seems Republican Donald Trump answered their prayers by releasing a new hit for the music icon. At one of his rallies, he voiced his disdain for Beyoncé vouching for US vice-president Kamala Harris, mocking her with the words “Joe Biden’s asleep, Kamala is at a dance party with Beyoncé”.

The clip has turned into a popular sound on TikTok, with legions dressing up as the Single Ladies hitmaker or dancing to the tune.

2. FALLING OFF A COCONUT TREE

Perhaps one of the most popular memes to come out of the election run was Harris' speech about coconuts. In May last year, she spoke at a President’s Advisory Commission on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics. Talking about policies, she spoke on how Americans do not live in silos and referenced a saying her mother often used that started with “you think you just fell out of a coconut tree?", followed by “you exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you”.

Going viral a year later out of context, the moment would be a talking point for many social media users, including versions where her laugh and phrase were embedded into pop songs. Her tan outfits would be named coconut brown.

3. MOO DENG’S CHOICE

The playful pygmy hippo grew increasingly popular on the web for her videos on the Khao Kheow Zoo's Facebook page. Garnering fans in Thailand and across the world, the viral hippo has been used in several memes and even made it to a Saturday Night Live sketch. The zoo turned to testing her psychic skills, similar to predecessors such as Paul the Octopus, and predicted Trump would win the election.

4. BRAT KAMALA

One of the most popular fashion trends of 2024 has been Charli XCX's brat summer, which saw fans and fashionistas running to rock dishevelled party-ready outfits. The trend was also a lifestyle phenomenon, with some stars labelled as “brat”, Harris among them.

5. THEY’RE EATING THE CATS

While Trump's gaffes during the presidential debate may have left him with egg on his face, his line on unfounded claims about ethnic groups feasting on pets would become a popular sound used on TikTok. 

The jazzy song that came out of one of the videos would also include a dance inspired by the choreography of the Broadway musical Cats.

6. LITERALLY ANYBODY ELSE

While President Joe Biden was still running, a Texas native took to changing his name as a rally cry for better presidential candidates. “There really should be some outlet for people like me who are just so fed up with this constant power grab between the two parties that just has no benefit to the common person. It’s not necessarily about me as a person, but it’s about literally anybody else as an idea,” he told WFAA.

For this reason, he changed his name to Literally Anybody Else to stand against the limited options they had at the time. 

7. MCDONALD TRUMP

In his attempt to relate to blue collar workers, Trump took a spin at working at a McDonald's. His short-lived day job was found to be staged in reports that found closed signs on the premises. Trump also used this as a means of putting Harris down when fake news reports claimed she never worked at McDonald's, as she claimed, stating he worked “15 minutes more than Kamala” on the day.

Memes would tease Trump's attempt to work a mile in the shoes of a fast-food chain employee, including memes imagining him as a worker at the fictional Bear t restaurant.

8. CRAZY CAT LADIES

Trump's vice-president elect JD Vance had a number of embarrassing gaffes but one of the most popular was his comment about Harris supporter Taylor Swift. The record-breaking musician was called a “childless cat lady” by Vance, who felt she would not sway the election due to her and Harris not being biological mothers.

9. JUMPING ELON MUSK

In a fit of excitement, tech billionaire Elon Musk landed himself in the internet's hall of fame by embarrassingly jump for joy when taking to the stage at a Trump rally. The moment would see him mocked next to popular cartoon characters and animals.

10. TRUMP DANCE

While Trump may have won Philadelphia during this year's election, it came with an awkward dance party on the stage. Two medical emergencies would trigger their sound department to kick off his exit song YMCA by The Village People, but when he questioned this decision they would all kick off a dance party that would last all of 40 minutes. This would include an odd mix of songs, including the late Sinead O'Connor's Nothing Compares 2 U and Memory from Cats.