“Darkish Brandon” doesn’t need sunglasses when he’s throwing shade.
On Thursday, President Joe Biden posted a video to Twitter (now rebranded as X) as his alter-ego, “Darkish Brandon.” Within the quick clip, Biden takes a sip from a mug, then utters: “I like my espresso darkish.”
He locations the mug on a desk in entrance of him, revealing it includes a “Darkish Brandon” meme full with laser beam eyes. The mugs have been on the market on Biden’s 2024 presidential marketing campaign web site since he introduced his run for reelection in April.
It ought to be famous that the “Darkish Brandon” meme is often utilized by the left to rejoice Biden’s successes.
Though Biden’s temporary clip doesn’t provide any extra data, it simply occurred to be posted to Twitter on the identical day as former President Donald Trump’s arraignment at a federal courthouse in Washington, D.C., for costs associated to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election outcomes.
Trump introduced in November 2022 that he plans to run for president once more within the 2024 election, regardless of his coup try.
As a result of timing of Biden’s “Darkish Brandon” clip, many observers speculated it was a direct diss aimed toward Trump and his cohorts.
For many who are unfamiliar with the “Darkish Brandon” meme, right here’s a fast rundown freed from any fiddle-faddle.
In 2021, the phrase “Let’s go, Brandon!” grew to become shorthand amongst Trump supporters for aiming the F-bomb at Biden, per NPR. Then, in 2022, Trump supporters created a collection of “Darkish MAGA” memes that sometimes confirmed Trump with blue laser beams for eyes. Captions accompanying Darkish MAGA memes usually name for Trump to take revenge on his political enemies.
The left rapidly co-opted the “Darkish MAGA” meme with the “Darkish Brandon” meme, that includes Biden with purple laser beam eyes, meant to symbolize the president’s feisty facet. It’s usually utilized by Biden supporters to tout his coverage wins.
And it appears Biden’s marketing campaign has determined to completely embrace this rascal alter ego. In April, “Darkish Brandon” made an look on the White Home Correspondents’ Dinner, and “Darkish Brandon” T-shirts, mugs, hats and tote luggage have been out there for buy on his reelection web site.
Aja Romano, a tradition reporter for Vox who’s written concerning the Darkish Brandon meme, mentioned Bidens’ embrace of the meme helps him seem a lot cooler and extra thrilling.
“Biden’s embrace of the Darkish Brandon meme reveals not solely an consciousness of the meme and what it represents to a lot of his followers, however self-awareness of how the meme livens and rejuvenates his public persona,” Romano informed NPR.
Romano added to the outlet: “Particularly as he gears up for a troublesome reelection, search for him to lean much more into the ‘Darkish Brandon’ meme on social media as a method of galvanizing supporters on-line.”
