Harris-Walz campaign trolls Trump's 'very good, very normal' press conference with viral meme

WASHINGTON, DC: On Thursday, August 8, Kamala Harris' presidential campaign took a bold step by issuing a press release that was anything but conventional. Instead of the usual, run-of-the-mill condemnation, the press release took a humorous jab at former President Donald Trump, poking fun at his recent press conference.

The novel approach — albeit light-hearted — marked an unmistakable shift in the Democratic Party's messaging strategy under Harris' leadership.

The press release was titled “Donald Trump’s Very Good, Very Normal Press Conference,” a sarcastic nod to the bizarre nature of Trump's perceived conduct during the event.

Trump had used the press conference to boast about his crowd sizes, comparing them to his rivals, while displaying what many considered an erratic demeanor.

The release went on to mock Trump, stating that he “[took] a break from taking a break to put on some pants and host a public meltdown.”

To further emphasize their point, Harris' team attached a viral tweet from 2014 by @dril, a well-known figure on social media for his absurdist humor. The tweet read, “And another thing: im not mad. please dont put in the newspaper that i got mad.”

A new tone in Democrats' messaging

Since Kamala Harris became the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, there has been a noticeable shift in the tone of the campaign's messaging.

According to the Daily Beast, this change has caught Republicans off guard, as they seem unprepared to counter this new style. The flat-footed responses from the GOP resemble another famous @dril tweet: “'I'm not owned! im not owned!!’, i continue to insist as i slowly shrink and transform into a corn cob.”

The shift in the Democratic Party's approach can be traced back to the 2016 election, when trolling and provocative social media posts became a powerful tool for a vocal subsection of the Republican Party.

Trump, in particular, can be considered the pioneer of this wave of right-wing memes, while the Democrats largely adhered to a more restrained approach, epitomized by Michelle Obama's famous phrase, “When they go low, we go high.”

However, with the rise of a new generation of internet-savvy aides and interns, the Democrats have adapted, realizing that in today's attention-driven world, the ability to troll or "s**tpost" -- a term for deliberately provocative online behavior -- can be a crucial political strategy.

Democrats adopt trolling as a political strategy

The Harris campaign appears to have embraced trolling as a key element of its digital strategy, and it has done so with finesse. According to the Daily Beast, this is evident in the campaign’s approach to Trump's press conference, where humor and ridicule were used effectively without crossing the line into crassness.

While the campaign has also employed other digital strategies, such as organizing mass Zoom calls and securing endorsements from pop culture icons, it is the trolling that has garnered considerable attention.

One of the most notable aspects of this strategy is its use of internet culture. The Harris campaign has adopted the "weird" meme, exemplified by the absurd rumor that Trump's running mate, Sen JD Vance, had sexual relations with a couch.

This bizarre claim, along with other humorous content like the Abby Lee Miller edits and @dril's tweets, has become a staple of the campaign's messaging.

Interestingly, @dril himself acknowledged the Harris campaign’s use of his work, albeit with a hint of criticism. He quote-tweeted a screenshot of the campaign’s press release with the caption: “In case you thought IDF Rape Camps were the worst thing our government is sanctioning,” referencing allegations against Israeli soldiers.

The role of Kamala Harris and her allies in targeting Republicans

Crucially, Kamala Harris herself has not directly engaged in trolling. A key rule in political trolling is that the candidate must maintain a certain distance, allowing others to do the dirty work. As Variety critic Alison Herman advised Harris when her online supporters, known as the KHive, started reviving old memes: “Do NOT acknowledge the coconut memes… the children will turn on you.”

Even Trump, despite his frequent off-the-cuff remarks and unhinged posts, understood this rule and never fully embraced the role of a s**tposter.

Harris has her campaign team to handle the trolling, as demonstrated in a recent tweet that teased Trump for his lack of energy.

The tweet contrasted Harris' busy campaign schedule with Trump’s single rally, accompanied by an unflattering photo of the former president.

In addition to her campaign team, Harris has the support of her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who is being propped up for his apparently light-hearted and effective trolling of Republicans. Walz's style, often described as giving off "dad vibes," appears to complement Harris' approach - providing a counterbalance to the more aggressive trolling from her campaign.

The results of this trolling strategy have exceeded expectations, with polls showing Harris gaining ground on Trump and, as of Thursday, even overtaking him.