Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
kamala harris face memes
kamala harris face memes
ABC
Culture > News

The Memes Of Kamala Harris’s Face During Her First Debate With Donald Trump Are Iconic

Updated Published

Vice President Kamala Harris is known for being something of a meme queen, and that was on full display on Sept. 10 during her first presidential debate against former President Donald Trump. Almost as soon as the debate began, viewers across the country took to Twitter/X to comment on the policies discussed and arguments made — but they also had a lot to say about Harris’s facial expressions as she reacted to Trump’s statements.

Within what felt like two-and-a-half seconds of the debate, things were already off to a chaotic start, with Trump trying to avoid shaking Harris’s hand, but Harris going in for the handshake anyway. Then the discussion began, and it was heated and combative off the bat, with both candidates throwing jabs at each other from the very start.

For those watching at home, the split-screen style of the debate’s broadcast offered a real-time look at each candidate’s reaction to the other’s comments — which was much better than waiting for the moderators’ “and your response?” prompts, because a smirk or a cocked eyebrow sometimes spoke louder than political jargon. And Harris in particular caught viewers’ eyes as she listened to Trump talk. The memes began almost instantly.

“New meme unlocked” seemed to be the consensus regarding Harris’s facial expressions.

As a fellow expressive girly, I identified with Harris’s facial expressions so much. Like, I was making those same faces throughout the debate as well. It appears that many others felt the same, either pointing out how much they loved her facial expressions, or how it reminded them of some other iconic memes from pop culture.

Look, there were obviously many, many more important aspects of the debate than the memes. But let’s be honest: The memes were some of the best parts of the whole night.

Eliza Disbrow

Washington '26

Eliza Disbrow is a graduate from the University of Washington, having majored in International Studies: European Studies with a double minor in Spanish and business. Eliza was a writer for the University of Washington chapter and is currently writing for National Her Campus, covering a variety of topics, from music, books, social media, politics, and more.

Beyond Her Campus, Eliza served as the co-president of the University of Washington Euro Club, participated in the University of Washington Women in Business club, while balancing a part-time job.

Currently, Eliza is a student at Northwestern University, pursuing a Masters of Science in Journalism at the Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications.

Additionally, she is perhaps the number-one-super-fan of "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver," with an uncanny ability to quote and recall episodes ranging from the most recent release or from three years ago.