‘Honestly, it’s beautiful’: Democrats and Republicans unite in appreciation of bizarre Trump and Harris Chinese folk song duet

Let’s be fair, Chinese internet culture can get wild sometimes. It may not be common knowledge in the West, but China’s meme culture is an extraordinary rabbit hole, and today’s viral video, ladies and gentlemen, is the perfect example of how remarkably creative Chinese netizens can get.

I guarantee this is the most beautiful – albeit slightly uncanny – thing you will have seen in a while. So much so in fact, that one would have to wonder whether it wouldn’t be possible for Donald Trump and Kamala Harris’ upcoming Sept. 10 debate to be a Mandarin singing contest between the two. No insults or politically inconsequential blows, just amazing vocals sung in a foreign idiom – and the world’s hardest language to learn for English speakers at that. It could be a chance for each to unconventionally but compellingly prove their resolve to become America’s new head of state.

Furthermore, at a time when the country is so insidiously polarized, a little singing may help bridge the gap, even if a fraction.

“If this were the debate I would absolutely watch.”

It is scientifically proven that singing together helps bring people closer. Just think of a concert where everyone in the crowd sings the lyrics along with the artist on stage, or kids singing around the campfire at night during summer camp. Through collective singing, there is a special aura, a spirit of communion that can bind strangers together. On a biological level, it fosters the release of endorphins – the colloquially known as “feel-good” hormones – which help establish a harmonious mood, bonding people in shared sentiments, not to mention the mental health benefits.

In a 2023 article for The Guardian, Ian Sample wrote: “Evolution has also lent a hand to ensure singing works its magic in mixed groups. It so happens that male and female voices are, on average, one full octave apart, meaning males and females can sing in synchrony, despite having different pitches.”

Singing, thus, can also be a fantastic ice-breaker. So, even if we cannot be blessed with having the two presidential nominees singing their views from beginning to end, perhaps they ought to open the debate with a quick duet, setting the mood for the remainder of the event. It could help direct the subsequent conversation to a fruitful exchange regarding actual policies instead of it being a verbal sparring match that, at its core, holds no consequence in the lives of real Americans.

“Honestly, it’s beautiful,” one person commented, “Didn’t even know they could sing. Let alone in another language.”

Before the Kamala and Trump duet was a thing – an exquisitely beautiful thing we didn’t know we needed – there were lots of Donald Trump and Joe Biden in Mandarin singing videos circulating on the Chinese Internet.

With such an emotionally charged presidential election, singing could be an excellent way for the candidates to express their underlying emotions. Many of us are all too aware of how rare it can be nowadays for politicians on opposite sides of the political spectrum to respectfully engage verbally with each other, so we can only hope this video becomes a wonderful reality.