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Ariana Baio
May 01, 2022
Biden, Trevor Noah headline as White House Correspondents’ Dinner returns
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At the White House Correspondents' Dinner, President Joe Biden made a joke referencing 'Brandon' from the right-wing meme 'Let's Go Brandon'.
Every year, the White House Correspondents' Dinner offers a unique opportunity for politicians and celebrities to roast one another in a professional setting. This year, comedian Trevor Noah served as the main speaker. But having a professional comedian entertain guests of the night didn't stop President Biden from making a few jokes himself
Biden, 79, began his speech by taking a few easy swings at the Republican party. The President began with a jab at GOP House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and the Republican's opposition to Disney
However, no one was expecting the President to make the punchline related to 'Brandon'.
"Republicans seem to support one fellow," President Biden began. "Some guy named Brandon, he's having a really good year and I'm kind of happy for him."
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The crowd erupted into laughter leading the President to chuckle at his own joke.
\u201cI\u2019m not here to roast the GOP, that\u2019s not really my style \u2014 and besides, there\u2019s nothing I can say about the GOP that Kevin McCarthy hasn\u2019t already put on tape.\u201d \n\nBoom.pic.twitter.com/vtGCIpZemo— Angry Staffer \ud83c\udf3b (@Angry Staffer \ud83c\udf3b) 1651408755
For months, "Let's Go Brandon" was circulating around the internet as a code phrase to express displeasure with President Biden.
It began in October when NBC reporter Kelli Stavast told NASCAR driver Brandon Brown the crowd was shouting "Let's Go Brandon" at him during an interview. In reality, the crowd was yelling "f*** Joe Biden" however neither Stavast nor Brown could make out the exact chant.
Footage of the interview went viral leading conservatives to pick up the phrase as a code word for "f*** Joe Biden". Then a "Let's Go Brandon" song went viral on TikTok, skyrocketing the code phrase into mainstream media.
While President Biden had never formally addressed the chant, many found his sarcastic acknowledgment of it in his speech to be the perfect roast.
I like the way he played on "Brandon". Biden is secure enough that he knows what it means and he doesn't care.\nThat's a quality I like to see.— MickeyFoon\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@MickeyFoon\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1651409134
#WHCD2022 #WHCD #WHCorrespondentsDinner\n\nPresident Joe Biden: \u201cRepublicans, they support one guy. Brandon, & I\u2019m really happy for him\u201d\n\nHAHAHA NOT SLEEPY AT ALL.\n\nBest line of the night!— Christopher Michael Fredrickson (@Christopher Michael Fredrickson) 1651374410
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