Kamala Harris Picked A ‘Fun Midwestern Dad’ To Be Her VP — And The Internet Already Has Memes

When Vice President Kamala Harris announced Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) as her vice presidential pick Tuesday morning, the internet came ready with the memes.

People flooded social media with wholesome videos and photos of Walz, a former high school teacher and football coach, whose energy can best be described as “Fun Midwestern Dad.” They made jokes about how he seems like the kind of guy who will teach you how to change a tire. “To the window, to the Walz!” became a popular refrain on social media. (Move over, “Kamala IS brat” and “you think you just fell out of a coconut tree?”)

Never has anyone been so excited to make memes about a middle-aged white man. I’m joking a bit, but the jokes are also the point. Harris selecting Walz is consistent with her campaign’s appeal thus far: demonstrating an internet savviness , being in touch with what genuinely excites people rather than conforming to the conventional wisdom, and reaching people in fun and accessible ways.

Walz began the VP audition process by making memorable TV appearances , repeatedly roasting the Republican ticket — former President Donald Trump and Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance — and leaning into the strategy of calling them “weird,” a popular and increasingly effective line of attack that has gained particular traction on the internet. Over the last two weeks, clips of Walz frequently went viral on social media (and put the Minnesota governor on a lot of Americans’ radars for the first time), solidifying this election as one where grabbing people’s attention online really matters.

Most people probably didn’t know much about Walz or his political career and policy record before two weeks ago. But if you spend any time online, you may have seen clips of those TV