3 images that defined the 2024 US election

Visual images often remain in historical and popular memory. This is particularly the case in presidential election campaigns in the United States, which feature a tremendous mix of spectacle, surprise and drama.

A historian of political visual culture can no more predict which images will stand the test of time than we can know who will win. But we can explain why some historical images from presidential campaigns resonate.

This election season has produced the most media-effective and diverse campaign images of all time. Cable news, social media and artificial intelligence have created a whole new universe of image-based narratives.

In this rich visual landscape, here are three images that will likely stand the test of time.

1. Trump’s “Fight!” photo

The undisputed frontrunner for defining the image is undoubtedly Evan Vucci's photo of Donald Trump being led off a stage in Pennsylvania after surviving an assassination attempt in July.

Many people, including Trump, quickly elevated the photo to iconic status over Joe Rosenthal's photo of troops raising the flag on Iwo Jima during World War II.

Both are photographed from below and show the national flag above Americans fighting against adversity to achieve a common goal. Both fit perfectly into the tradition of wartime photojournalism.

Both photos were immediately popular: Trump's image went viral and the image of Iwo Jima was featured on a US postage stamp before the end of the war.

However, their greatest similarity lies in the cultural symbolism of the images.

Both represent exactly one historical moment; a certain point in time. But the timing was actively chosen to fit a narrative. The projected narratives are deeply rooted mythologized symbols of an emerging patriotism.

Read more: Height, color – and the American flag. This is what makes Evan Vucci's Trump photo so powerful

Visual literacy encourages us to think about what images were left out when selecting these two historically significant images. Historical legacies and the national mythologies that fuel them tend toward images of success over images of wartime death and suffering.

This image of Trump meets all the criteria we would normally, and probably unconsciously, apply when assessing whether an image is likely to have long-term meaning.

The basic characteristic of iconic images is a general bipartisan understanding of what an image “says.” Regardless of whether you agree with the message being conveyed, understand the social context, why the image is (or is not) provocative, dramatic, or funny, as well as its historical references.

However, contemporary images are not always so easy to read – and in a post-truth AI world, it is more difficult than ever to decipher the visual culture of politics.

2. Brat summer and coconut memes

Kamala Harris' youth and vision for the future were at the heart of the campaign to create Kamala HQ. The strategy adopted the bright green branding and font of Charli XCX's hit album Brat after the pop star posted on X: “kamala IS brat.”

Social media was a crucial tool in introducing Harris to voters, especially those of voting age for the first time in 2024. The campaign's use of social media portrayed young people as engaged and respected decision-makers.

Read more: “Kamala IS Brat”: How the power of pop music has influenced 60 years of US elections

Voters have had more than a century to get used to photojournalism. In contrast, much of social media representation in recent years has emerged through community activism. Coverage of women's marches last weekend showed connections to the visual culture of the protests that followed Trump's 2016 election.

Probably the most historically significant of this “youth vote” image category are the Internet memes of coconuts and coconut palms.

In a speech in 2023, Harris quoted her mother:

Do you think you just fell out of a coconut tree? You exist in the context of everything you live in and everything that came before you.

This moment went viral during the 2024 election and it wasn't long before people started signaling their support for Harris by adding a coconut emoji to her profile or comments.

The popularity of the coconut meme among Harris supporters suggests opposition to the derogatory use of the term “coconut” toward people of color who act “white.”

The production and reception of memes by younger voters demonstrates a media literacy and literacy that also requires ongoing fact-checking.

This point was highlighted in Taylor Swift's endorsement of Harris, who urged her followers to self-assess the information on their feeds for “reliability” after Trump and other conservative figures shared AI-generated images of Swift and her fans purporting to be Trump supported.

3. The televised debate handshake

A key image of the debate between Harris and Trump emerged in the opening minutes, when Harris crossed the stage to offer her hand. It was the first debate handshake in eight years.

This was a bold move, considering Trump's 2016 debate stage stance against Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and his documented penchant for firm handshakes.

The handshake is representative of the campaign that has been dubbed a “gender referendum.” It created an image of strong and confident leadership – a central theme as Harris spoke passionately about reproductive rights and abortion.

Televised presidential debates are among the most watched and analyzed moments of the presidential election season. Image is everything.

Their significance is perhaps best illustrated by Justin Sullivan's photo of President Joe Biden standing, mouth agape and looking frail, under the word “presidency” during the June debate this year.

While they rarely lead to an outcome as extreme as a candidate's elimination from the race, as Biden ultimately did, the images and sounds they create can linger for decades.

During the first nationally televised presidential debate in 1960, Republican candidate Richard Nixon reportedly felt uncomfortable and refused to wear makeup. Compared to his opponent, Democratic candidate John F. Kennedy, he sweated profusely on stage, leaving an image that had a negative impact on his ultimately unsuccessful campaign.

Between the staged and “gotcha” moments of every presidential campaign, debates offer a unique – and unique in 2024 – glimpse into how the candidates relate to each other as people across an ever-widening ideological divide.