‘Dark Brandon’ is fast becoming an inescapable part of life in US politics.
It’s one of the most talked about memes in 2023, presenting a very different view of president Joe Biden.
It offers an alternative to the right-wing caricatures of the 80-year-old, which portray him as a frail old man. Instead, the meme imagines Biden as “Dark Brandon” often with sunglasses on, to subvert the “dark MAGA” fascist aesthetic that has been used to criticise him.
It’s obviously come to the attention of the POTUS himself in recent years after it was used on the official Biden website recently.
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Now, during the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner speech on Saturday (April 29), Biden embraced the meme in person.
Introducing comedian Roy Wood Jr., Biden said: “Roy, the podium is yours. I’m going to be fine with your jokes, but I’m not sure about Dark Brandon.”
President Biden complete remarks at 2023 White House Correspondents' Dinner (C-SPAN)www.youtube.com
The president then put on a pair of sunglasses and sparked cheers and applause from the crowd.
The speech also saw him make a joke at the expense of Tucker Carlson after he left Fox News.
He said: “The truth is, we really have a record to be proud of: vaccinated the nation, transformed the economy, earned historic legislative victories and midterm results. But the job isn’t finished, I mean, it is finished for Tucker Carlson."
The joke earned a gasp from the audience, perhaps shocked that the president would take a dig at Carlson like that.
“What are you ooo’ing about like that. Like you think that’s not reasonable? Give me a break,” he added.
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