Is this the Dark Brandon? In November 2020, shortly after Joe Biden was confirmed as the President-elect, Chinese illustrator Yang Quan unveiled a series of provocative cartoons on his Weibo account. These illustrations painted Biden in a rather malevolent light, with one particularly striking image captioned, “The sleeping king ascends the throne, the devil is resurrected.” This showed Biden seated on a throne reminiscent of the Iron Throne from “Game of Thrones,” constructed from automatic weapons, with infernal flames as a backdrop. Over the subsequent 20 months, Yang continued to release images, many of which carried pro-China and nationalistic undertones.
The Dark Brandon Meme Rises!
These illustrations remained relatively obscure until recently when they experienced a resurgence in popularity in the U.S. The Democratic party and its supporters repurposed these images into a meme known as “Dark Brandon.” Notably, figures within the Biden administration, including White House aides and Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), shared these images, celebrating the administration’s legislative achievements.
Contrary to Yang’s initial intent, the meme has been transformed into a symbol of strategic prowess, suggesting Biden as a mastermind in political maneuvering. Mel Magazine commented on this trend, stating, “‘Dark Brandon’ is the Malevolent kind of Biden we need.”
Biden’s relationship with memes is not new. During his tenure as Vice President under Obama, he was often affectionately referred to as “Uncle Joe.” However, his presidency has seen a shift in this narrative, with some critics portraying him as out of touch. The phrase “Let’s Go Brandon,” a veiled criticism of Biden, has been widely circulated online.
The “Dark Brandon” meme, which originated from this sentiment, gained traction on platforms like Reddit, Twitter, and TikTok. Its popularity peaked recently, coinciding with significant legislative moves by the Biden administration. The meme has been used both ironically and as a genuine show of support, with the White House even sharing images of Biden with the characteristic red laser eyes, a visual often associated with right-wing activists and cryptocurrency enthusiasts.
Joe Biden is Dark Brandon
However, not everyone viewed this meme favorably. Emma Vaughn, a spokesperson for the Republican National Committee, chastised the White House for seemingly endorsing what she termed “Chinese propaganda.”
Despite the controversy, the meme’s virality is notable, especially given the Biden administration’s more traditional communication approach. While the White House often downplays the significance of platforms like Twitter, the positive reception of the “Dark Brandon” meme in Democratic circles suggests a potential shift in online sentiment towards the administration.
Neera Tanden, White House staff secretary, even engaged with the meme. In response to a tweet suggesting that the laser-eyed Biden image was an official stance of the administration, Tanden affirmed, only to later jestingly retract her statement, hinting at the meme’s pervasive influence.
Dark Brandon Meme Summary
The “Dark Brandon” meme, which portrays President Joe Biden with red, laser-like eyes, has significantly boosted Biden’s campaign merchandise sales. This meme is a subversion of a right-wing chant, “Let’s go Brandon,” which is widely understood as a coded way of saying “F*** Joe Biden.” The meme, which emerged in response to this chant, portrays Biden as a master strategist, playing “five-dimensional chess.” The Biden campaign has capitalized on this meme, incorporating the image of a smiling, red-eyed Biden on various campaign merchandise. This surge in merchandise sales comes at a crucial time for the Biden campaign, which had been facing challenges in raising funds from small donors.
