President Joe Biden had social media users cackling after he went full "Dark Brandon" with his response to questions from reporters about how he felt about Ohio Republican Representative Jim Jordan's second failed bid to become Speaker of the House of Representatives.
In response, Biden playfully quipped:
"I ache for him."
His response drew laughter from reporters aboard Air Force One and he followed this up by emphasizing that he held no opinion on the matter:
“No. Zero. None."
You can hear what Biden said in the video below.
Republicans have been largely split on whom to elect as their next leader since ousting now-former Speaker Kevin McCarthy and attempts by Louisiana Representative Steve Scalise and Ohio Representative Jim Jordan to garner support have largely collapsed.
News outlets reported earlier today that Jordan is withdrawing from the race and is backing a plan to put North Carolina Representative Patrick Henry, the caretaker Speaker, in charge of the House until January. Although that plan appears to be falling apart as well.
But Biden's response was nonetheless celebrated by Biden's supporters, who affectionately refer to his no-nonsense, witty side as "Dark Brandon."
The term "Dark Brandon" originated as a play on the conservative phrase "Let's go Brandon," which arose after a newscaster mistakenly claimed a crowd at a NASCAR race was chanting "Let's go Brandon" when they were actually chanting "F**k Joe Biden."
While the meme initially served as a way for conservatives to criticize Biden, it has since been appropriated by the President's supporters.
And after Biden's response to Jordan's failed bid went viral, people really leaned into it.
The President has long embraced the Dark Brandon meme.
Biden's 2024 presidential campaign is selling Dark Brandon T-shirts and coffee mugs featuring a popular version of the meme, with Biden depicted as having glowing red eyes.
The shirts are priced from $32 for a small to $35 for a 3XL and are said to be "best worn while vanquishing malarkey," a nod to Biden's "no malarkey" slogan from the 2020 campaign.
Biden has given every indication he is, despite conservatives' claims, fully aware of the meaning behind "Let's go Brandon!"
In fact, it's safe to say the President appears to have a sense of humor about it, as when he met with a man named Brandon to drum up support for his administration's "Build Back Better" initiative.
Although neither the President nor his social media or PR team confirmed Biden was slyly putting divisive rhetoric to sleep, he received praise from social media users for subverting the joke.
