Liberal news anchors Rachel Maddow and Jake Tapper made cringeworthy attempts to be ‘cool’ as they attempted to explain why Charli XCX had had labelled the new Democrat nominee for president ‘is brat’.
The release of the 31-year-old singer’s latest album, called Brat, in June has sparked a massive social media trend that sees people embracing their inner ‘brats’ this summer.
Charli branded the Vice President as ‘brat’ after Joe Biden endorsed her for the Democratic presidential nominee and announced that he was dropping out of the race on Sunday.
‘Kamala IS brat,’ Charli XCX’s post – which has since been viewed more than 46 million times – read.
The popstar’s tweet quickly went viral, sparking a fierce response from Charli’s devoted fanbase and catching the attention of Kamala, 59, who then got involved – overhauling her campaign to include a reference to Charli’s new album.
But the saga left the likes of MSNBC’s Rachel, 51, and CNN’s 55-year-old Jake baffled – with both admitting to having no idea what being a ‘brat’ even meant.
Anchors Rachel Maddow (seen) and Jake Tapper faced an embarrassing on-air struggle as they tried to explain the meaning behind Charli XCX’s declaration that Kamala Harris ‘is brat’
British singer Charli (left), 31, posted a tweet branding the Vice President (right) as ‘brat’ after Joe Biden endorsed her for the Democratic presidential nominee and dropped out of the race
It was a reference to Charli’s latest album, called Brat, which came out in June and has since launched a massive social media trend that sees people embracing their inner ‘brats’ this summer
Hours later, MSNBC’s Rachel admitted on air that she was ‘not totally sure what brat meant.’
Senator Amy Klobuchar then weighed in, telling the host, ‘I love that [Kamala and her team] are just owning it and making fun of it and becoming an icon because of it.’
Rachel has long supported Biden, and in February, she was mocked for saying he wasn’t too old to run for President this year because he ‘rides a bike.’
And following his announcement that he was leaving the race on Sunday, she applauded him, stating, ‘What a man, what a patriot.
‘What an act of selfless devotion to your country. Him making this decision today is to give the country a chance, a reasonable chance at not putting Donald Trump back in the White House.
‘Not putting a president back in the White House who refused to leave the last time and summoned an angry mob to try to overthrow the government rather than go.’
They also discussed the topic on CNN, with Jake revealing that he learned about Charli XCX’s post from his 16-year-old daughter.
The popstar’s tweet quickly went viral, catching the attention of Kamala, 59, who then got involved – overhauling her campaign to include a reference to Charli’s new album
But the ordeal left a slew of popular newscasters baffled – as many admitted that they had no idea what being ‘brat’ even meant. Charli XCX is seen
MSNBC’s Rachel (seen last month), 51, admitted on air that she was ‘not totally sure what brat meant’
Reporter Jamie Gangel, 69, tried to explain the trend to viewers and her fellow hosts alike, stating, ‘I’m supposed to say, “That’s brat.” For those not in the know, that’s a cool thing.’
She then read a quote from Charli XCX herself, in which the pop sensation broke down what being brat meant during a previous interview.
‘You’re just that girl who is a little messy and likes to party and maybe says some dumb things sometimes,’ the singer said.
‘[The girl] who feels like herself but maybe also has a breakdown. But kind of like parties through it.
‘[The girl who is] very honest, very blunt, and a little bit volatile. She does dumb things. But it’s brat. You’re brat. That’s brat.’
‘So it’s the idea that we’re all kind of brat?’ a confused Jake asked.
‘And Vice President Harris is brat? I don’t…,’ he trailed off.
‘You don’t just become brat, you can aspire to be brat but you have to work at it,’ CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins, 32, told him.
They also discussed the topic on CNN, with reporter Jamie Gangel explaining of the trend, ‘I’m supposed to say, “That’s brat.” For those not in the know, that’s a cool thing’
A confused Jake, 55, said, ‘Vice President Harris is brat? I don’t…’ before Kaitlan Collins told him, ‘You don’t just become brat, you can aspire to be brat but you have to work at it’
Since Charli’s LP came out last month, hundreds of thousands of people have shared videos to TikTok showing off all the ways that they’re having a ‘brat summer’
‘OK, I will aspire to be brat,’ he said with a laugh.
Earlier this month, Jake said Biden was ‘in complete denial’ about his abilities to serve as President for another term.
‘Many Democratic officials with whom I have spoken are worried that President Biden and his family and his inner circle appear to be in complete denial not just about whatever might be wrong with him but the state of his candidacy right now,’ he said.
While Charli’s post left many newscasters confused, Kamala herself seemed completely in favor of the message.
In fact, within hours she was embracing the label – and she changed the header image on her campaign’s X account, entitled Kamala HQ, so that it looked just like the album’s iconic lime green cover.
Since the LP came out last month, hundreds of thousands of people have shared videos to TikTok showing off all the ways that they’re having a ‘brat summer’ – whether it’s by wearing the lime green color that’s on the album’s cover or dancing to Charli XCX’s new songs.
And after Charli XCX shared her post about Kamala, her dedicated fans started posting edits that show a montage of clips of the Vice President as one of Charli XCX’s songs plays in the background.
Some companies have even gotten involved in the trend, with bars and coffee shops promoting bright green drinks
Stars like Stephen Colbert, Glen Powell (left), and Ashley Tisdale (right) have also participated in the trend
Stephen danced to one of her tracks live on air during his show, and uploaded it to TikTok after, writing, ‘Stephen Colbrat’
In another interview, Charli XCX said of being brat, ‘It can [be] quite luxury, but it can also be so trashy.
Since Charli XCX shared her post about Kamala, her fans have started posting edits that show a montage of clips of the Vice President as one of Charli XCX’s songs plays in the background
‘Just like, a pack of cigs, and a Bic lighter, and a strappy white top. With no bra. That’s kind of all you need.’
Some companies have even gotten involved, with bars and coffee shops promoting bright green drinks.
Stars like Stephen Colbert, Glen Powell, and Ashley Tisdale have also participated in the trend.
Ashley uploaded a clip of herself dancing to Charli XCX’s song Apple, which she captioned, ‘I may be pregnant but I’m still having a brat summer.’
When asked what his song of the summer was during a recent interview, Glen replied, ‘Well it’s a brat summer so….’
Stephen danced to one of her tracks live on air during his show, and uploaded it to TikTok after, writing, ‘Stephen Colbrat.’