There is no more US Prez Joe Biden, only a Dark Brandon meme taking over the Internet
The US President's newly unveiled 2024 re-election campaign website features a ‘Dark Brandon’ easter egg. But what’s the deal behind the meme and how has Biden weaponised it to his advantage?
Visitors to the website were surprised to find that the 404 error page featured Biden’s Dark Brandon persona, and it seems the US President has been milking the gag to its fullest potential after debuting his shitpost alter-ego at the White House Correspondents Dinner, yesterday.
Dark Brandon rises again. pic.twitter.com/mdwaUQVFOR
— The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) April 30, 2023
The visual style of the image, characterised by its "deep fried" appearance resulting from multiple rounds of screenshotting and filtering that have severely degraded its resolution, is an intentional feature.
SPOTTED on the new Biden presidential campaign website’s 404 page: Dark Brandon. pic.twitter.com/NkIfv9xMVq
— Eugene Daniels (@EugeneDaniels2) April 25, 2023
Known as 'Dark Brandon', this meme originated as a vehicle for anti-Biden sentiment and has its origins in the obscure recesses of the Internet. Nevertheless, it has undergone a process of reinterpretation and has now been adopted by Biden and his supporters.
The origin of the meme
The origin of the meme is believed to have been a NASCAR event in Alabama in October 2021, where the crowd could be heard chanting "F**k Joe Biden" during a live broadcast. The broadcast cut away from the crowd noise and a commentator remarked that the crowd was chanting "Let's go Brandon" - a phrase that has since become a euphemism for "F**k Joe Biden" in far-right circles.
The meme was primarily used by some of his detractors in protests and rallies to criticise and mock him. The origins of the "Let's go Brandon" phrase, which the Dark Brandon meme plays on, is a clear example of this.
People don't get it. Joe Biden ran and won in 2020. In 2024 the poor bastards will be running against Dark Brandon. pic.twitter.com/aYBcGrzZuT
— The Main Gauche (@chrismorley) April 29, 2023
A battle cry
Over the course of a year, the Dark Brandon meme has undergone a transformation from a derivative of a conservative meme to a resounding battle cry for the Biden campaign. Democratic politicians and White House staff members have enthusiastically adopted the meme, which originated as a tongue-in-cheek reference to a pre-existing ironic meme.
In the late summer of 2022, the meme began to gain traction on Twitter, attracting scorn from right-wing influencers such as Ben Shapiro, while some posters lamented the appropriation of their meme by liberals.
#DarkBrandon is the best Brandon pic.twitter.com/5Gctuybt0a
— THEE Humboldt Fella 💉💉💉🇺🇦💛🐝 (@redwoodk8) August 3, 2022
Nonetheless, the Biden camp embraced the imagery wholeheartedly, capitalising on the moment when the actual Biden was basking in a series of policy successes. The public was eager for a refreshing source of leftist inspiration, and the figurative Dark Brandon emerged as an irresistible superhero in the world of memes.
Love how #DarkBrandon was snatched from their clutches and repurposed. https://t.co/19IjgXcV2X pic.twitter.com/7Cwwy1FYUF
— josecanyousee (@josecanyousee_) August 2, 2022
The meme has since taken on a life of its own, with images and videos circulating on social media platforms featuring Dark Brandon. Since then, Biden has made the meme his own, demonstrating a keen understanding of its essential appeal and its potential utility as a tool for rallying his supporters and revitalizing his public persona in the wake of the 2024 elections.
The Deep State told Biden he could not withstand The Storm.
— 𝕊𝕦𝕟𝕕𝕒𝕖_𝔻𝕚𝕧𝕚𝕟𝕖 (@SundaeDivine) August 8, 2022
Biden replied, I am the Storm. #DarkBrandon pic.twitter.com/uEmBuxGCVR
The emergence of Dark Brandon and its adoption by the Biden camp as a rallying cry is a testament to the power of Internet culture and the ingenuity of political campaigns to harness it to their advantage.
Tax cheats beware pic.twitter.com/Dlphq43Dmx
— Matthew Yglesias (@mattyglesias) August 7, 2022
What began as a vehicle for anti-Biden sentiment has been reinterpreted and repurposed as a tool for energising his supporters and revitalising his public persona. The metamorphosis of the meme from a conservative insult to a resounding battle cry for the Biden campaign highlights the fluidity of Internet culture and the capacity for even the most seemingly insignificant memes to have real-world impact.
As the 2024 elections approach, it remains to be seen whether Dark Brandon will continue to play a role in Biden's campaign or whether it will be replaced by the next big meme sensation.