“Dark Brandon” Is a Symptom of Powerlessness

“Dark Brandon” memes are jokes, but they express a deeply felt wish that Joe Biden would turn out to be a firebrand progressive at heart. But Biden is Biden — at his core, he’ll always be a corporate-friendly centrist.

“Dark Brandon” meme of posted on Twitter by the White House’s director of digital strategy, Rob Flaherty. (@RFlaherty46 / Twitter)


The White House’s director of digital strategy, Rob Flaherty, celebrated the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) by tweeting an image of Joe Biden with glowing red eyes. It was a mild example of a “Dark Brandon” meme.

Other versions show Biden with lightning coming out of his hands, Biden with lasers shooting out of his eyes, or Biden sitting on a throne made out of rifles. Many, including one tweeted by Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates, reference the president’s eagerness to put an end to “malarkey.”

Dark Brandon is crushing it pic.twitter.com/w0L8xCzIW8

 — Andrew Bates (@AndrewJBates46) August 7, 2022

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