The rise of “Let’s go Brandon”
The meme comes from a NASCAR race in 2021. Spectators chanted “F-ck Joe Biden!” throughout the race, which was misheard as “Let’s go Brandon” by NASCAR commentators. Commentators mistakenly believed the crowd was cheering for racer Brandon Brown, who lightheartedly tweeted, “To all the other Brandons out there, You’re welcome! Let’s go us.” However, in private, Brown is reportedly uneasy about the chant.
The euphemism quickly became a rallying cry for supporters of former president Donald Trump. “Let’s go Brandon” is now a common slogan heard at the former president’s rallies, online, and among supporters.
Biden’s alter ego: Dark Brandon
The internet embraced president Joe Biden’s alter ego ‘Brandon,’ spawning a wave of memes about ‘Dark Brandon’ – an edited photo of Joe Biden, featuring laser eyes and a darkened background. The photo, a doctored version of Joe Biden’s presidential portrait, has been shared widely across the internet, finding an unexpected home with supporters of the Biden-Harris campaign.
The “dark” in ‘Dark Brandon’ is a parody of former congressman Madison Cawthorn (R-NC), who stated that Trump would usher in an era of “dark MAGA.” Despite the literally dark overtones, Cawthorn meant this positively.
“Just like we drew it up, @Chiefs”
The Dark Brandon internet firestorm culminated on @joebiden, the president’s personal Instagram account, after he posted the meme during the aftermath of the 2024 Super Bowl. Captioning the post “Just like we drew it up, @Chiefs,” Biden congratulated the Chiefs on their 2024 Super Bowl win. The caption is also a satirical allusion to the far-right conspiracy theory that Taylor Swift, who is dating Chiefs player Travis Kelce, is a government agent.
Taylor Swift, who is not a government agent, has been thrown around as a political talking point by the far-right. This post seems to signal a light-hearted but critical approach to the upcoming 2024 presidential election. Lamenting the swamp of conspiracy theories and underhanded tactics used by supporters of Donald Trump, posts like this attempt to portray Biden as down-to-earth.
The campaign might have pulled this off, at least in the short-term. The post quickly reached over 1 million likes on Instagram, far surpassing the usual tens of thousands that Biden’s account receives. As Instagram and most social media platforms are youth-dominated, the post seems to have resonated with young Americans, likely as a joke rather than a reflection of genuine support for the president.
Reactions and precedent
Some top comments on the viral post read, “why did the president post this,” “I can’t believe this is a real post,” and “who is running this account.”
These comments signal disbelief, if not a great deal of humor, with the novel approach of the Biden-Harris campaign. Joe Biden, the oldest president in American history, has struggled to resonate with young voters, a major Democratic Party support base. As the internet becomes increasingly powerful toward elections, viral attention may make or break a campaign, as America saw in 2008 and 2016.
Former president Barack Obama was the first candidate to seriously use the internet as a campaign tool, helping him reach millions of young Americans. Similarly, the viral attention given to former president Donald Trump, who entered the 2016 race as a political outsider, helped Trump clinch the Republican nomination – to the awe of political commentators and world leaders alike. Given the success of online and shock-and-awe campaigning, the Biden campaign might find a niche for themselves with this bizarre strategy.
A one time joke, sure – but this strategy may set the tone for the messaging of the Biden administration in the future. Willing to playfully use jokes for its benefit, while nonetheless addressing serious problems facing Americans.
Freshman Richie Dockery is a Staff Writer. His email is rdockery@fandm.edu.